DES NEWSLETTER

The Division of Enrollment Services Newsletter
Southern Methodist University
An Electronic Newsletter of
Undergraduate Admission, Financial Aid, Student Financial Services, and the University Registrar

Volume III, Issue IX         November 2004

Cornucopia


   

STAR ACHIEVEMENTS

5,318
Enrolled for Spring
So Far

CONGRATULATIONS
 Anna Gomez on the birth of her granddaughter Lucy Gomez.

STAFF LEAVING
Christina Little - Financial Aid Advisor

Regina James - Admission Counselor

ANNIVERSARIES
Charles Harper - 46 years

Anna Gomez - 7 years

BIRTHDAYS
 Kathy Rowe - Dec. 3

Kelly McMillan - Dec. 18

Laura Del Rio - Dec. 19

Cheryl Moore - Dec. 20

Shannon Grandberry - Dec. 26

Rod Jackson - Dec. 31

If you are not on the list and should be, this is produced from the Employee Roster on the V drive.  Let Kathy know if there is an error.

DES Sponsors Halloween Party

VIPs - Very Important Ponies 

 

Some of our VIPs this month are:

Cindy Ruiz - You do know what a jewel you have in Cindy, don't you?  She is the best on quick response and follow through.

DES Halloween Helpers - A belated thank you to everyone in Blanton for the wonderful Halloween Party!  The children, parents and staff of the Preschool really enjoyed the morning.  We appreciate the time and effort you made--we had so much fun!  Thanks again.  Joanne Osterland, SMU Preschool


 Special thanks to Kelly McMillan and Alyce Anderson for planning and decorations.

Marcia Miller - I would like to nominate Marcia as a VIP.  I have a list of PLUS loan problems that I have been trying to resolve and Marcia has always been willing to help out and resolve them.  Even when they can't be resolved the same day, she'll check up on their status until they are resolved.  If it weren't for her, I'd be dealing with a lot of angry/frustrated students.  Thanks.

Records Staff - I am amazed by the level of commitment and professionalism the Records/Registrar's Office at SMU has shown in my case.  No doubt its exemplary.  Thank you so much.

Deveron Ellison - thank you, I have received my diploma.  It is both odd and amazing because it is out of the past and I have never viewed it.  I now have it in a cheap Wal-Mart brushed aluminum frame, small and discrete, but I am proud to see it here on my office wall.  I did earn it.  I came in as a high school dropout, failed tenth grade three times, finally got my GED I made a deal with Dean Bryson to let me take just one required course at SMU.  If I passed, he would let me take another course.  I was very poor as well at the time.  We made a bargain in his office and shook hands.   I kept my promise and for the first year and a half, I made straight "A's."  Graduated with a 3.7gpa in fine arts.  One of my sculpture was selected as the first Dallas born artist to get in the Dallas Museum in a field of almost 6000.  I was just 25.  Many thanks for the good memories. 

This is what it is all about - Editor

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Gramm, Leach, Bliley
Financial Moderization Act of 1999

The GLB enacted on November 12, 1999 mandates that all financial institutions establish appropriate security standards to protect customer data from internal and external threats and unauthorized access occurring through online systems and networks.  This means that all financial institutions (including colleges and universities) need to meet a general standard of compliance and develop an information security program. Institutions of higher education are subject to the provisions of the Act related to the administrative, technical, and physical safeguarding of customer information.

The objectives of the security program should be:

1. To ensure the security and confidentiality of customer information.

2. To protect against any anticipated threats to the security or integrity of such information.

3. To guard against the unauthorized access to or use of such information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any customer.

On November 3, 2004, the Division of Enrollment Services conducted a workshop to explain the requirements of Gramm, Leach, Bliley and to assist staff with ways to insure compliance.  A DVD was shown that had been produced by the Student Account staff to illustrate the provision of the Act.  Members of the DES Compliance Task Force presented a powerpoint to underscore the specifics of the Act and participants met in small groups to brainstorm ways to insure that all financial information is properly handled.

Some of the slogans written by the groups help staff remember the policies they need to follow:

You Leave It!  You Lock It!
Stranger Danger!
Eight is Great! (use 8 character in passwords)
Lock up or get Locked down.
FTP for Me
Better Safe than Sorry
Exercise by going to the Document Destruction Bin
Control-Alt-Delete-Enter
The job is not done until the paperwork is secure
Be a Latch Key Kid - lock it and take your keys
When you are ready to step away - password protect

Enrollment Services also has implemented a software system that directs faxes to a secure e-mail box so that protected information is not sitting on a public fax machine.
 

Thanksgiving Dinner  
DON'T FORGET
 Blanton Holiday Party
 December 14, 2004 - 12noon.

DIVISION MEETINGS
No Division Staff Meeting in December
Holiday Lunch instead!

Division Highlights

Important Dates and Things:
 Nov 22 – Last Day to Withdraw
 Nov 24 - no classes
Nov 25-26 – University Holiday
Dec 2 – Last day of Instruction
 Dec 3-4 – Reading Days
Dec 6-11 - Examinations
Dec 11 – December Graduation*
Dec 12 - Residence Halls Close
Dec 20-24 – University Holiday
Dec 31 - University Holiday
 Jan 5 - Residence Halls Open
Jan 12 - First Day of Class

*Anyone who would like to help with December Graduation should contact Erin O'Neil immediately.

 

Quotation of the Month

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
Marcel Proust

 

SMU Trivia

Question
Which SMU President was the first to have an earned PhD?

Answer
Umphrey Lee - he had a PhD from Columbia University.  He was a minister and a church historian.

More on
the New Wait List Option

The Enrollment area of the Registrar's Office processed its first student from a Waitlist status to Enrolled status!

As a younger person would say... this is just too cool!

Having an automated waitlist is something we've talked about since the late 70's.  And it is finally here thanks to another great collaborative effort. This is a good tool that will be really helpful for a number of departments. We were able to take the delivered PS Waitlist process and with some important customizations and some key reports via query make it work for SMU.  This first Waitlist success was a MBA student and a graduate Cox course.  What makes this all the more impressive is that the seats in the course are divided up between unrestricted spaces and restricted spaces.  The space that opened up was a restricted space and the first student on the Waitlist did not meet the requirements for the space, so the process went to the second student on the Waitlist -- and Bingo, this student met the restriction.  The system enrolled the student in the course and sent him an e-mail notification (yes, a neat little SMU customization!)  And what about the student in the first spot on the Waitlist?  Still there  -- waiting for someone to drop one of the unrestricted seats (or maybe he should change his major so he meets the restriction?).

Thanks to everyone involved in making Waitlist possible -- Sunsharae, Darrah, Dharmendra, Steve, Stephen, Jean, Cheryl, Susan, Joe G, Ron.  It is neat to see our continued growth in making PS-SAS work well for SMU.




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