Dear Parents,

What a gorgeous spring we’re having in Lancaster! It was sometimes hard for the students to concentrate on their books with the alluring aroma of blooming trees and flowers wafting through their open windows. But I have been impressed with their ability to manage their time, to prioritize their studies, and to balance their books with their many co-curricular interests. You should be proud!

As the summer approaches, here are some items in which you may have interest.

Civic Engagement at its Best

F&M Votes reports a remarkable turn-out of our student voters in the Pennsylvania closed primary election. In the 9th ward-4th precinct, where most of our students are registered and of which approximately 75% of voters are F&M students, over 500 votes were recorded, a number that far exceeds the turn-out in any other city precinct. F&M Votes attributes this terrific level of participation to:

• a large crew of students who "dorm-stormed" almost every room on campus with informational flyers;
• faculty, staff and students staffing the F&M Votes table all day in the atrium;
• a message from President Fry reminding students when and where to vote;
• and a packed house at the Ware College House's "PA Primary Panel" on the day before the Primary.

Downtown Dollars

Encourage your student to shop local in downtown Lancaster! The Downtown Investment District and James Street Improvement District offer Downtown Dollars, gift certificates available in $5 and $10 increments, which are accepted at more than 100 merchants in Downtown, including Central Market, galleries, restaurants and shops. To purchase the certificates, call 717-399-7977 or visit the DID offices at 44 N. Queen Street during normal business hours.

Your Student’s Relationship with his/her Grandparents

As my children get older (my oldest is a sophomore in high school), I delight in witnessing their relationships with their grandparents grow and deepen. I came across this article about college students’ relationships with their grandparents and thought you might have interest.

Summer Storage & Receiving Program

The College is once again partnering with Groff’s Moving and Storage to meet the summer storage and receiving needs of our students. Students received the details of these programs (carton sizes, pick-up and delivery dates, fees) in their campus mailboxes. Further questions can be directed to Stacey at 717.653.6151 or 717.653.1357 or ceg1284@comcast.net.

Lancaster’s Charles Demuth

Through June 22, the Demuth Museum in downtown Lancaster is featuring an exhibition of historical photography, “Past Time: Photographic Exchange” by two members of the Lancaster Camera Club, Ferdinand Demuth (1857-1911) and William D. Zell (1854-1923), along with contemporary works by Philadelphia artist Wil Lindsay. Encourage your student to take a study break this fall and walk downtown to get to know one of Lancaster’s most celebrated artists. The Whitney Museum of Art in New York City recently featured Demuth for an exhibit entitled "Chimneys and Towers: Charles Demuth's Late Paintings of Lancaster."

Insurance Offerings for Graduating Seniors

Renter's Insurance

Many of our students move into apartments upon graduating from F&M. As our students head out into the real world, they often overlook the need for renter’s insurance when they move into their own place. In partnership with Liberty Mutual, the Franklin & Marshall Alumni Association is pleased to offer an affordable renter’s insurance policy for all alumni. You can read about the importance of renter’s insurance in an article from About.com called “Money in Your 20s”. To help your son or daughter receive a free renter’s insurance quote from Liberty Mutual, please visit the Franklin & Marshall page on Liberty Mutual’s website: Liberty Mutual - Personal Insurance.

Health Insurance

Depending on your student’s plans, he or she may soon be without health insurance. The Franklin & Marshall Alumni Association is pleased to be able to offer GradMed as an affordable way to help.
Often a student’s coverage on their parents’ insurance plan only extends for a few months after graduation. Today, however, many students have a need for short-term health insurance in the months and years immediately following graduation. Maybe your student plans on traveling or volunteering, maybe they are still searching for a job, or maybe their new job’s insurance has a waiting period before kicking in. In all these situations, GradMed can be a great option for bridging the gap.
GradMed coverage begins immediately upon signing up. It is available throughout the U.S. and abroad for flexible time periods of as little as 30 days to as long as six months. Most importantly, it offers very reasonable premiums while still insuring your child against major medical expenses.
To find out more, please visit the Franklin & Marshall College Alumni Insurance Program web site or contact the Office of Alumni Programs at 866-925-5500.

Display Your F&M Pride on Your Computer Screen

Download F&M “wallpaper” onto your computer screen at work or home to show a beautiful photo of your child’s college every day!

Named Scholarships

Hundreds of Franklin & Marshall students are the beneficiaries of the generosity of donors who’ve created endowed scholarship funds. Named endowed scholarship funds are created with gifts of $100,000 or more and exist in perpetuity to support our students. Student recipients of named scholarships as part of their financial aid packages are asked each year to add a personal touch of gratitude by writing a thank you note to their donor(s). If your student receives a named scholarship, and if he/she has not already written a note of thanks, please ask him/her to contact Kelly Saylor (kelly.saylor@fandm.edu or 717-291-4267) who will provide all necessary information. We hope you agree that it is important for our student recipients to take a few minutes to accomplish this task. Our scholarship donors truly treasure these letters!

Another College Row Shop Open

Bed & Bath Affair and Interior Gallery (717.299.6676) is open in College Row. They offer a wide variety of designer items for the home, specializing in luxury bedding including such names as Scandia Down, Sferra, Home Treasures, SDH, and Ann Gish. They also carry towels, rugs and other bathroom accessories. Their home design service relies on an extensive fabric and wallpaper library in addition to many lighting and furniture options. Bed & Bath Affair also stocks beautiful lingerie, gift items, and toiletries. So, next time you are in town, stop in to find a little something special to dress up your child’s room here in Lancaster, or support this local business by purchasing something beautiful for your home.

Commencement Speakers & Honorary Degree Recipients

We all look forward to hearing David Greene speak to our graduates on Saturday, May 17 during the College’s Commencement Ceremony at 10 AM. If you are a National Public Radio listener, you often hear David’s reports as their White House Correspondent. We are especially eager to welcome him back to Lancaster as his late mother was a beloved associate professor of psychology here at the College. Honorary Degrees will be presented to Christo and Jeanne Claude (artists known for their installation of “The Gates” and other environmental installations around the world), Ellen Arnold Groff (Lancaster civic leader and arts patron and Franklin & Marshall trustee emerita), and Robert Zemsky (chair of The Learning Alliance and Franklin & Marshall trustee). All are welcome to attend graduation, inside or out.

Another New Hotel in Lancaster

Homewood Suites by Hilton will open its doors in mid-June at 200 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster, PA (717.735.6188; www.lancasterhomewood.com). This new hotel, adjacent to the Fairfield Inn and Hilton Garden Inn on Granite Run Drive offers 98 one- and two- bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens and is less than three miles from campus. With all the amenities of an extended-stay property, Homewood welcomes overnight and weekend guests and promises to be another great option for Franklin & Marshall families.

2008-2009 Calendar

Visit our calendar pages on the F&M website and mark your calendar for important dates for next year. Some highlights:

Fall 2008
• Wednesday, September 3: Fall Semester Classes Begin
• Friday-Sunday, September 26-28: Family Weekend
• Friday-Sunday, October 10-12: Homecoming Weekend
• Saturday-Tuesday, October 18-21: Fall Break
• Wednesday-Sunday, November 26-30: Thanksgiving Break
• Sunday, December 21: Last Day of Final Exams

Spring 2009
• Tuesday, January 20: Spring Semester Classes Begin
• Saturday-Wednesday, March 14-22: Spring Break
• Saturday, May 9: Last Day of Final Exams
• Saturday, May 16: Commencement

2008 Summer Send-Off Parties

We are currently finalizing our slate of Summer Send-Off Parties for this summer. These fun events invite the entire Franklin & Marshall community (alumni, current families, friends) in about a dozen geographic areas around the country to welcome our newest students and their parents to the F&M family and to “send them off” to Lancaster with well wishes. We’ll be sending invitations in the coming weeks and we hope you will plan to attend the party nearest you!

Fiscal Year Ends June 30th

I hope you’ve read about the College’s recent good news regarding the $1.3 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medicial Institute and the $6.6 million gift from Bob ‘50 and Carolyn Wohlsen. These restricted gifts to create specific programs at F&M are terrifically exciting for the entire Franklin & Marshall community. At the same time, our Franklin & Marshall Fund is on track to meet goals this year. Thanks to all the parents, alumni and friends who’ve already contributed unrestricted dollars toward the F&M Fund. This important fund provides the foundational support of all that goes on here at the College. The more successful the Fund is, the more successful all of our programs and initiatives are. If you haven’t yet contributed to the Franklin & Marshall Fund during this fiscal year (July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008), please consider doing so today. Your gift, large or small, makes a difference and sends encouragement to the College’s leaders to keep the momentum going. If you already gave this fall or winter, might you consider a second gift during this fiscal year? Give on-line today or send a check to the address below to be a part of the success and put your passion for Franklin & Marshall College into action!

As always, thank you for sharing your child with us and for your interest in Franklin & Marshall College.

All the best,

Maura Condon Umble ‘83
Director of Parent Programs
Office of College Advancement
Franklin & Marshall College
maura.umble@fandm.edu
717.291.3888

Copyright © 2008 Franklin & Marshall College
P.O. Box 3003 | Lancaster, PA 17604
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