Hello and Happy New Year! We're happy to bring you exciting and important news especially for ’Roo Parents and other supporters. The topics below are timely and of interest to Austin College families from first year to final year. If you have questions about anything covered here, please contact us by email at communications@austincollege.edu. |
Academic News
JanTerm
JanTerm is well underway with one week to go—classes end at 5 p.m. on January 24. There is extracurricular programming for JanTerm sponsored by the Student Life Office, such as a Karaoke Contest, Board Game Night, Talent Show, and Make Your Own Charcuterie Board. These are opportunities for students to be engaged during JanTerm outside of their JanTerm course. Please remind your students to check their AC emails each week to know what programming is being done for that week. Stay in the loop on all things academic by viewing the Academic Calendar.
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Financial News
Money Matters for Spring Term
Here are the high-priority points for this month:
- Spring 2025 tuition due date is January 15, 2025. All prior term balances are now past due.
As always, your student accesses their statement on Self-Service, where they can also make payments.
- The FAFSA application for 2025-26 is available at studentaid.gov and the deadline is May 1. It is best to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. The 2025-26 FAFSA application asks for financial information from 2023.
Please contact the Financial Aid Office via email or phone at 903.813.2900 with any questions.
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Student Life
Important Dates for Housing Selection for Academic Year 2025-2026
All applications will be available on WebHopper
- January 22: Hass Village on Grand application closes at 5 p.m.
- February 6: 2-Person Flats and 4-Person Flats/'Roo Suites applications open at 8:30 a.m.
- March 17: Traditional Hall Double Room applications open
- March 17: Single Room application opens at 8:30 a.m.
- April 4: Single Room application closes at 5 p.m.
- April 21: Traditional Hall Double Room applications close at 5 p.m.
- May 7: Rising Senior Off-Campus Residency Forms due to SLO Office, WCC 201, by 5 p.m.
All this information, and more, can be found on AC’s Campus Life webpage.
Winter Weather Reminder
This is a seasonal weather-aware reminder of Austin College policies regarding inclement weather. In the event of winter weather such as ice and snow, all faculty, staff, and students should exercise individual judgment regarding their ability to travel safely to campus.
- Being a residential campus, the Austin College campus will generally remain open even during inclement weather. If the College cancels classes or other services at any point, notifications will be sent via email and/or the College’s emergency alert system and posted on the College’s website. Otherwise, assume the campus is open and classes are in session during any academic term.
- While the campus remains open during inclement weather, decisions about the need to cancel a particular class or hold it remotely can be made by individual faculty members. Should a faculty member cancel a class or hold it remotely, they will notify their students directly.
- Students are not expected to place travel for class attendance above their own individual health and safety. Students who are unable to attend class for safety reasons should not be penalized.
- It is the student’s responsibility to contact faculty prior to missing class.
- Physical Plant and Campus Police routinely patrol the campus. When there is ice on the ground, sidewalks and hard surfaces will be sanded and salted for safety.
- Regardless of weather conditions, Austin College Dining Services will remain open according to their regular schedule and meal plans will be active.
If there is a severe weather event, such as a tornado, when outdoor sirens may be activated, Austin College uses an emergency alert system to send messages via text message, email, and/or telephone, pending the nature of the emergency.
The City of Sherman tests the emergency outdoor siren on the first Wednesday of each month, and the College tests the emergency notification system once per term. For additional information, or to hear the tones of the sirens, you can visit the campus weather safety page.
Contact Campus Police & Safety with any questions via email or phone at 903.813.2555.
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Just in Case
24/7 Telehealth Access for All Students
Although the Adams Health Center on campus will be closed over the winter break, don’t forget that Austin College provides all full-time students free 24/7 telehealth access through Academic LiveCare (ALC). This service offers on-demand counseling, urgent medical care, therapy, and psychiatry at no additional cost, regardless of insurance provider. Students can access ALC support via phone, video, chat, or text, even while they are away from campus.
For assistance, students can visit https://myahpcare.personaladvantage.com or call 1 (866) 349-5575, using company code AHP1.
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Extra news you can use!
2025 MLK Day Community Celebration
Austin College will host a community-wide celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 20, 2025, at 11 a.m. in Sally and Jim Nation Theatre. The keynote address will be given by Vice President for Business Affairs Pernell Jones, and the student speaker will be senior Nia Carter ’25, who recently ended a two-term appointment as president of Student Assembly.
This event is free and open to the public.