lyon college parent's guide 2012-13

Lyon College Parent Guide

TabLe of ConTenTs

Welcome 4

Useful Phone Numbers 6

Academics 7

Student Life 13

Study Abroad 16

Financial Aid 18

BusinessOffice 21

AcademicCalendar 25


Welcome, parents...

stay in Touch—Get Involved!

Even though you may not be taking classes at Lyon Col-lege, you are an important part of our community, and you will be an essential part of your son or daughter’s success here. You can help your student make the most of the college experience by encouraging him or her to become involved, to study, to make new friends and to use the numerous support systems that are available at Lyon College.

We also encourage you to become involved by at-tending events like our annual Family Weekend, staying apprised of the latest College news via Lyon.edu and becoming active in P.A.L.S. (the Parents Association of Lyon Students). The P.A.L.S. card you just received has the telephone numbers of frequently needed College officessuchastheRegistrarandBusinessOffice.

One of the biggest ways you can assist Lyon College through P.A.L.S. is to refer students to us and us to stu-dents.IfyouknowofastudentwhoisagoodfitforLyon,please let us know! You can fill out a referral form athttp://tinyurl.com/ReferToLyon (or call or mail us). Any-time you recommend a student, we take it seriously. You can help more people discover the top-tier education and personalized attention your student enjoys at Lyon!

This marks an important chapter in your student’s life, one full of change and opportunity. You will be an im-portant part of that adventure. Your sons and daughters come to Lyon full of talent, ambition and enthusiasm, and we are delighted to welcome them. As faculty and staff, our mission is to help them realize their dreams. We


encourage them to explore, to take chances, and to make the most of the extraordinary educational oppor-tunitiestheywillfindhereatLyonCollege!

Sincerely,

Taryn Duncan, ’91Director of Alumni and Parent Services


UsefUL PHone nUMbeRs

DeanoftheFaculty 870-307-7332

Dean of Students 870-307-7314

CollegeNurse 870-307-7425

BusinessOffice 870-307-7322

FinancialAidOffice 870-307-7250

My child’s Mentor 870-_________


though I have no children of my own, I have seen this “delivery” now for almost four full decades, and I believe I can vicariously experience the depth of emotions you will feel as you drive away one child light. These emo-tions will be especially intense if you are bringing and leavingyourfirstchildtogoofftocollege,yourlastchildto leave home, or especially your only child. We thank you for trusting Lyon to educate your son or daughter and to help shape him or her into the mature, respon-sible, educated young person Lyon prides itself in grad-uating. With your child’s hard work and commitment, and with your support, Lyon will not fail to send out into the world in four years a young adult of whom we will all be most proud. That support from you—especially in the next weeks of transition—is, however, essential.

In addition to the normal demands of moving away from home for the first time, first-year students aregoing toencounter greater academic rigor and higher expecta-tions at Lyon than they were used to in high school. Life for them will initially be exciting, but also tough: almost allfirst-yearstudentswillearngradeslowerthantheyareaccustomed to earning in high school. In our experience

aCaDeMICsFrom the Academic Dean’s Office

Virginia F. WrayVice President for Academic Services and Dean of the Faculty

Bringing and leaving a child at a residentialcollegemustbeadiffi-cult task. And I don’t mean merely the labor of hauling refrigerators, TVs, bikes, sound systems, and clothes in the usually blazing Au-gust heat here in Arkansas. Even


at Lyon, however, those first-year students who availthemselves of the help and support we provide quickly recover and go on to successful college careers here. Please don’t fuss at them for a C—or even a D or F—on an early quiz. Encourage them as strongly as you can to gethelpwiththeiracademicworkattheveryfirstsignthat they might need it.

Lyon offers new students a variety of help in making their adjustments to the higher expectations of college coursework. Occasionallyfirst-yearstudentsarea littleembarrassed by their early, less than perfect perfor-mance, or they simply don’t know how to ask for help. Here is where you come in. Encourage them to seek the help that abounds here at Lyon:

CoR 100, first Year experience seminarEachfirst-yearstudenthasafacultymentorwhoserves as an academic advisor and who, with as-sistance from an upperclass student mentor, leads a required weekly seminar designed to help new studentsfindtheirfootingincollege.Encourageyour sons and daughters to participate fully in that seminar and, as needed, to seek additional help from their faculty and student mentors.

supplemental Instruction (sI)Lyonhasidentifiedfirst-yearcoursesthathistorical-lyhavebeendifficultforstudents.Thesecoursesoffer an additional weekly meeting run by students (SI Leaders) who have taken these courses and done well in them. They attend the regular class sessions and consult regularly with the professors teaching the courses, letting them know when stu-dents are not grasping some lecture material. SI leaders are not teaching assistants like those you wouldfindinauniversity;theyarecoachesofsorts


whoworkwithfirst-yearstudentsonstudyskillsap-propriate to the courses they are helping students with, and they are facilitators of collaborative learning. SI sessions are optional unless faculty re-quire them. Encourage your son or daughter to take advantage of SI.

Faculty Office Hours Facultyholdpostedofficehoursandwillarrangeto see students at additional times as needed. Faculty teaching first-year students want and ex-pect students to come to them for help outside of class if they don’t understand a lecture, an assign-ment, or their grade on a returned paper or test. As a faculty, we pride ourselves in our low faculty/student ratio and enjoy the one-on-one help that ratio makes possible. Sometimes, however, facul-ty can’t know that students need additional help. Please encourage your sons and daughters to ask forthathelpfromtheirinstructorsthefirstmomentthey feel even a little bit adrift in a class. Best not to wait for a failing grade on a test or paper. En-courage them to be proactive, seeking that help as early as possible.

spragins House faculty MentorDr. Patrick Mulick is the Resident Faculty Men-tor who, along with his wife, two daughters, and dog, lives in Spragins House, adjacent to the quad areawheremost first-year students live. Dr.Mu-lick teaches psychology and has much experi-ence in helping students adjust to the demands of college-level work. He is available to consult with them about their study habits and manage-ment of their daily schedules, and he occasion-ally, in consultation with course instructors and SI Leaders, will schedule help sessions before tests in


a range of courses. He is an excellent resource for academic help and even for a warm, friend-ly conversation in a living room that students are sometimesstarvedforduringthefirstweeksawayfrom home.

To encourage your sons or daughters to seek help out-side of classes, you obviously need to know how they are doing in classes. It’s my hope that you and they will talk honestly and openly about their grades. Neither I nor their faculty can talk with you about their perfor-mance unless they have signed the family educational Rights and Privacy act (feRPa) release form giving us at Lyon permission to talk with you. If they have not signed, you may override their wishes if they are still your depen-dents.Tooverride,contacttheRegistrar(870-307-7203)for the appropriate form, or, better yet, persuade your son or daughter to do the mature thing of signing the re-lease so you have the knowledge to provide important familial support when he or she needs it.

Many students and families worry unnecessarily about losingscholarships.Thefirstworryoften isaboutcourseloads.Lyonlimitsnew,first-yearstudentsinthefalltermto taking only 4 academic courses and no more than 15hoursunlessgrantedanexception.arkansas Gover-nor’s scholarships, Challenge Grants, and lottery schol-arships allow a 12-hour minimal load for a student’s first, full-time semester in college, as do all of the Lyon Col-lege scholarships. We want them to begin slowly so that theycanbuildasolidrecordthefirst termbeforetheytake5academiccoursespersemester.Theyneedanaverageof 15hours/term tograduate; theywill easilymake up this small, first-semester deficitwith PE cours-es and one 4-hour course they are required to take for graduation. Don’t worry about the high-school buddy atastateuniversitytaking15,16,17,oreven18hours.


Your son or daughter is getting a carefully planned be-ginning to college in order to help him or her hone the skills essential for subsequent fuller, more demanding se-mesters.

A second worry about losing a scholarship is mainte-nance requirements. The Arkansas Governor’s Schol-arship, Challenge Grant, and lottery scholarships allow studenttogotosummerschoolafterthefirstacademicyear to raise their GPAs to the required level. Lyon stu-dentswithnamedacademicscholarshipshavespecificGPA requirements and will be reviewed annually. Lyon students with other Lyon scholarships retain their scholar-ships so long as they remain eligible to continue at the College. Lyon students in danger of losing their scholar-ships at the end of a spring semester may use summer school to raise their GPAs and retain their scholarships. Students with additional off-campus scholarships are re-sponsible for knowing and keeping up with their mainte-nance requirements.

Somefirst-yearstudentsandtheirfamiliesalsoworryun-necessarily that they don’t have a major or a career path. Relax. A liberalarts college like Lyondoesnotexpectafirst-yearstudenttoknowpreciselywhatheorshewillbedoingin5,10,or30years.Infact,Lyonknowsthat statistically new students who think they know what their major will be will, in the main, change their minds once or twice. Our curriculum is built to accommodate these switches and to make possible exploration of lots of possibilities. To help with this exploration, our Career Center will assist students in their curricular/career deci-sion, all the time reminding them most people today will switch careers at least once. Lyon’s primary goal is to transform her students into thoughtful, responsible, and flexible adults capable of success in numerous careers and desirous of building and enjoying a life well led, not


merely to provide vocational training that may be out-dated even by the time of commencement. The ability to think never loses value.

In accord with the Americans with Disability Act, Lyon provides reasonable accommodations to students who request accommodations and who present documen-tation of their disabilities. Students with documented needs should make an appointment with me to request accommodations.

I look forward to meeting you and working with your sons or daughters over the next four years. Please do your best to come to Lyon for Family Weekend in September. It’s an excellent time to check on your student’s transi-tion to college life and to meet and talk with his or her instructors. In the meantime, if I can assist you in helping your child adjust to and go on to shine at Lyon, don’t hesitate to call me. And please remember to help with-out hovering so your child makes the successful transi-tion to adulthood.


sTUDenT LIfe

Bruce Johnston, Ed.D.Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students

student LifeStudent Life is where the action is on campus. It includes the Honor System (matters related to aca-demic integrity), residence life (the community developed in each campus residence), student activi-

ties (what there is to do in addition to studying), campus organizations (everything from Greek life to honor so-cieties to other clubs and denominational fellowships), campus ministry (faith development, spirituality, and ser-vice to others), counseling and health and wellness (for those needing medical treatment, or wanting to work constructively on life issues), career development (ev-erything from resume preparation to selecting a major and skill development for the future), and outdoor rec-reation (rock climbing, canoeing, biking, disk and water sports). Lyon students learn and grow in environments intentionally designed to challenge and support them. Each Student Life staff member is an educator commit-ted to the holistic development of students.

What to expectThe Honor and Social Systems provide the foundations for collegiate life at Lyon. We expect students to respect themselves and others and to be open to those who are somewhat different from them. Leadership skills and character are important for each student’s future, and active student involvement in leadership and service opportunities results in strengtheningandaffirming the


positive character traits which will serve each student well at Lyon and beyond.

We expect students to be diligent about their academic and co-curricular pursuits and to model behavior which reflects positively on themselves, their family, and theCollege. We understand, and strive to communicate to students that the quality and amount of time on task (whether in the classroom, the laboratory, the library, the residencehall, or theplaying field) often results in thebest outcome. We also urge students to seek assistance whenhavingdifficulty. Thiscancomefromprofessors,supplemental instructors, professional staff members, and peers. We expect students to take the initiative and to respond when others express concern.

Growing up isn’t easy, but it’s rewardingYou should also expect that grades at a challenging college like Lyon will probably be somewhat lower than those achieved in high school. This should come as no surprise because the expectations are higher and the quality of the competition is increased over what nearly every student experienced before arriving at Lyon.

Over time we hope you will witness gradual growth in your student’s ability to manage time more effectively, in strengthened communication skills, intellectual open-ness, personal self-discovery, leadership skills, civic en-gagement, and a commitment to life-long learning. These learning outcomes are the goals of our student life program and our effectiveness in helping students achieve growth in these areas is frequently assessed.

Letting go…We expect parents to give students time and space in which to grow and mature. You have provided them with wonderful and sound advice to this point in their


journey, and you may expect that your efforts will bear the fruit of observable development. Maturity will not happen all at once, but we believe you will be pleased more often than not by what you witness during holiday breaks, visits home, telephone conversations, and e-mail messages.

…but still supportingIt is important to listen carefully to the messages con-veyed and to ask open ended questions (‘Can you say more about what you’ve just told me?’ or ‘Tell me what else is happening in this situation?’) when they express a frustration or concern. Another appropriatequestion to pose is ‘Who at the College have you talked with about this?’ While you may be tempted to make the call for your student, the best result for their contin-ued growth and development is to urge them to make the call themselves and inquire later how the conversa-tion went.

We’re listeningWe encourage you to communicate with a member of the Student Life Staff if you observe behavior which you think is unusual or uncharacteristic of your student. We can sometimes respond or help you to respond to situa-tions which are of great concern to your family. Although our college counselor and college nurse are bound by the strict confidentiality standards of their professions,they may be able to help you work through issues you hear your student express or to suggest effective ways of communicating with your student about issues which are of concern to you.

Lastly, the Student Life Staff at the College is commit-ted to helping students grow and develop to their fullest potential. That is our daily challenge and one we will engage with energy and enthusiasm.


sTUDY abRoaD

Lyon College believes that exposure to diverse places, cultures, and language is an important part of a liberal arts education. In order to accomplish this, the Nichols International Studies program offers two opportunities to study abroad: one-credit Nichols courses and summer/semester or year-long study abroad programs.

nichols CoursesNichols courses are one-credit courses on different top-ics taught by members of the Lyon faculty that include about two weeks of travel abroad. Students get to travel around the world—Europe, Asia, South America, Central America—accompanied by the professor who teaches the course. In order to qualify for a Nichols course, stu-dentsmusthaveaGPAof2.5and60credithours.TheNichols stipend pays for airfare and lodging. Students are responsible for meals and personal expenses. semester & year study abroadLyon has established tuition exchange agreements with Akita International University (Japan), the University of Poitiers (France), and to Belfast Metropolitan College, Queens University, St. Mary’s University College, Stran-millis University College, and the University of Ulster, all in Northern Ireland, through the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities. Lyon is also a member of the Consortium for North American Higher Education Col-laboration (CONAHEC), which allows student exchange with schools located in Canada, Mexico, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Iceland, Brazil, and South Korea. In most cases, exchange is for a semester, but some schools offer summer exchanges as well. Students normally participate in semester and yearlong study abroad exchange programs during their junior year or the following summer. Applicants are re-


quired to have attended Lyon full-time for the academ-ic year preceding their study abroad, have a Lyon cu-mulativeGPAof3.0,beingoodfinancialstanding,andhave appropriate foreign language skills to be eligible to participate in these programs.


fInanCIaL aID

Lyon College aidThe main source of aid for most Lyon students is their insti-tutional, or Lyon College, scholarship. These are 4-year, renewable scholarships that do not have to be repaid. These scholarships are merit-based (need-blind).

The second main source of aid comes from the federal government. In order to be eligible for any federal aid, astudentmustfileaFreeApplicationforFederalStudentAid (fafsa) every year. This can be done free of charge at www.fafsa.gov. Lyon’s FAFSA code is 001088.

federal Government aid Pell Grant (gift aid) Need basedFederal Supplemental Educational Op-portunity Grant (gift aid)

Need based

TEACH Grant (gift aid, post-grad com-mitment required)

Need blind

Subsidized Direct Loans (self help aid) Need basedUnsubsidized Direct Loans Need blindPLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Student) Loans

Credit based

state Government aidFor students who are Arkansas residents, the followingStateaidisavailabletoqualifiedstudents:HEOG (GO) Grant Need basedArkansas Challenge (Lottery) Scholarship

Need blind

Governor’s Scholarship Min. GPA & Standard-ized Test req.

Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship

Min. GPA & Standard-ized Test req.


Private sources of aidOutside scholarshipsPersonal fundingAlternative (private educational) loans Credit-based

scholarship MaintenanceMake sure you and your student know and understand any and all scholarship maintenance requirements for his or her academic scholarship(s). Maintenance re-quirements for Lyon scholarships are found in the on-line Lyon Catalog under the financial aid section titled “Lyon Scholarships for 2012-13.” Maintenance require-ments for state scholarships are listed on the arkansas Department of Higher Education website www.adhe.edu. While the Financial Aid office and academic ad-visors monitor all students’ academic progress, it is pri-marily each student’s responsibility to know and meet the maintenance requirements for his or her academic scholarship(s). Parents and/or students may call the Financial Aid Office if they have questions concerning these requirements.

When to apply for financial aidFile the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1. Pro-grams with limited funding go to those who apply earli-est. The FAFSA serves as your one application for all fed-eral aid.

Also, Arkansas students should complete the YOUniver-sal Application at www.adhe.edu as soon as possible after January 1. This is your one application for all state scholarship and grant aid. This application only has to be filedonce.StudentswhoareeligiblefortheGovernor’sScholarship and the Governor’s Distinguished Scholar-ship must complete the YOUniversal Application no later thanFebruary1.Allotherstudentsapplying for theAR


Challenge Scholarship or the GO Grant must complete the application no later than June 1.

How to apply for financial aid Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Stu-dent Aid) online at www.fafsa.gov. We strongly urge students to fileonline. Beforedoing so, students (andparents of dependent students) will need a PIN to sign the FAFSA. PINs (Personal Identificationnumbers) can be obtained at www.pin.ed.gov. Also, turn in any ad-ditional documents requested from the Financial Aid of-fice.Lyon’sFAFSAcodeis001088.

How will I know I’ve been awarded financial aid? Your student will receive a Financial Aid Award Letter from Lyon shortly after we receive his or her FAFSA.

Divorced ParentsIf you are divorced, your student should report the in-come of the parent with whom s/he lived more during the12monthsprecedingthedates/hecompletedtheFAFSA. If s/he did not live with one parent more than the other, give answers about the parent who provided morefinancialsupportduringthe12monthsprecedingthe date s/he completed the FAFSA. If that parent is re-marriedasofthedateyourstudentfilledouttheFAFSA,the stepparent’s income (if any) should be reported as well.

If you have other questions regarding your student’s fi-nancial aid, please call us at 870-307-7250. For ques-tions regarding your student’s account balance, call the Business Office at 870-307-7322.


bUsIness offICe

Lyon College bills a student’s account for tuition, fees, and (if a campus resident) room and board twice equal-ly per academic year, half in the fall and the other half in the spring. Financial aid (scholarships, grants, and loans) is applied to a student’s account in the same manner, half in the fall and half in the spring.

Payment Plans

If a student’s charges for the semester are greater than his/her total financial aid for the semester (includingloans), that balance can be paid in two different ways.

neLneT PaYMenT PLan

Lyon College partners with Nelnet Business Solutions (NBS) to offer payment plans to students for tuition and fees. These payment plans make paying for your educa-tion more affordable as they offer you the opportunity to spread payments over time. These plans are interest free;however,thereisa$30.00persemesteradministra-tive fee payable to Nelnet. Several plans are available so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.

PaYMenT PLan enRoLLMenT DeaDLInesFall 2012 Full payments may be made on Nelnet’s e-Cashier through August 20, 2012.

Last day to enroll online

Requireddownpayment

Number of Payments

Months of Payments

July 1 None 5 July – NovAug2 None 4 Aug – NovAug20 25% 3 Sept – Nov


Spring 2013 e-Cashier available on November 15, 2012. Full payments may be made on e-Cashier through January 9, 2013.

Last day to enroll online

Requireddownpayment

Number of Payments

Months of Payments

Dec 3 None 5 Dec – AprJan 3 None 4 Jan – AprJan 9 25% 3 Feb – Apr

NOTE: All down and full payments are processed imme-diately!

LuMP-SuM PAyMEntS

Of course, term bills may always be paid in a lump sum at semester’s beginning. These payments can be made throughtheLyonCollegecashier(870)307-7322orviaNelnet. There are no additional fees with this option.

As an additional note, in April, students will need to pay a $100 deposit to register for the next fall’s classes. That deposit is then rolled onto the next semester’s bill.

student Insurance

TUITIon, RooM & boaRD ReIMbURseMenT InsURanCe

Tuition, Room & board Reimbursement(TRBR)insuranceis billed to each student every semester. However, this insurance is completely optional. TRBR insurancepro-tects students’ investments in their educations in the event that they have to withdraw from classes during a semester due to injury or illness. Brochures and more detailedinformationregardingtheTRBRinsuranceplanareavailableintheBusinessOffice.OnlyasignedwaiverformisneededattheBusinessOfficeinordertowaivethis insurance, and it is also needed within a week of the


start of classes. If a waiver is submitted, a credit equal to the charge will appear on the student’s account, and if a waiver is not submitted, the charge will remain on the student’s account. A new waiver form must be submit-ted each year. Lyon College remits this insurance pre-mium to an outside company, so these deadlines are very important. Be sure to waive the tRBR insurance if you don’t want it!

student account balances

Lyon urges parents of all Lyon students to monitor their student’s account and to understand the charges and credits that appear on the statements. If a charge or credit shows up that you or your student don’t under-stand, it would be better to ask sooner rather than later. One way to keep up with your student’s account is to look at his or her statement. Lyon mails statements each month to students. Another way to monitor your stu-dent’s account is to log onto their myLYON account by going to https://my.lyon.edu. For your convenience, you may dispute any charges within 30 days of the change in question. You will need your student’s ID number and PIN to log in and view his or her account information.

If you have other questions regarding your student’s account balance, please call us at 870-307-7322. For questions regarding your student’s financial aid, call the Financial Aid office at 870-307-7250.


2012-2013 ACADEMIC CALEnDAR

Fall 201218 Aug. Sat. Freshmen arrive

20Aug. Mon. Registration

21Aug. Tues. Classesbegin

29Aug. Wed. Lastdaytoaddaclass

3 Sept. Mon. Last day to enroll pass/fail

Last day to drop without record of a course

4 Sept. Tues. President’s Convocation

15-16Sept. Parents’Weekend

17 Sept. Mon. Constitution Day

25Sept. Tues. ServiceDay

11-14Oct. FALLBREAK

15Oct. Mon. Classesresume

Midterm grades due

Deadline for removal of incompletes

19 Oct. Fri. Board of Trustees meeting

23Oct. Tues. Lastdaytodropacoursewith a “W”

Oct.29-Nov.2 Mon.-Fri. AdvisingConferences

Nov2-4 Homecoming

5-12Nov. Mon.-Mon. Registration

21-25Nov. THANKSGIVINGBREAK

26Nov. Mon. Classesresume

7 Dec. Fri. Last classes

10-11 Dec. Mon.-Tues. Final Exams

12Dec. Wed. ReviewDay

13-14 Dec. Thurs.-Fri. Final Exams

17 Dec. Mon. Final Grades due


Spring 20137Jan. Mon. Registration

8 Jan. Tues. Classes begin

16 Jan. Wed. Last day to add a class

21Jan. Mon. MLKDay:noclasses

22Jan. Tues. Lastdaytoenrollpass/fail

Last day to drop without record of a course

22Feb. Fri. BoardofTrusteesmeeting

1 Mar. Fri. Midterm grades due

Removalofincompletes

2-10Mar. SPRINGBREAK

11 Mar. Mon. Classes resume

18 Mar. Mon. Last day to drop a course with a “W”

25-28Mar. Mon.-Thurs Advisingconferences

29Mar.-1Apr. EASTERVACATION

2Apr. Tues. Classesresume

2Apr.-9Apr. Tues.-Tues. Registration

12Apr.-14Apr. Fri.-Sun. ScottishFestival

16 Apr. Tues. Honors Convocation

18-19 Apr. Thurs.-Fri. Board of Trustees Meeting

26Apr. Fri. Lastdayofclasses

28Apr.-1May Sun.-Wed. Finalexamsforgraduating seniors

29-30Apr. Mon.-Tues Finalexamsfornon-graduating students

1May Wed. ReviewDay

2-3May Thurs.-Fri. Finalexamsfornon-graduating students

2May Thurs. Seniorgradesduesbynoon

3 May Fri. Baccalaureate

4 May Sat. Commencement

6 May Mon. All grades due

lyon college parent's guide 2012-13

Documents

trusting lyon

college experience

lyon college

young person lyon prides

latest college news

students life

student life

dean of students