BackPack taking holiday hiatus
NAU will be closed from December 25 through January 4 and The BackPack will resume on January 16.

Our online survey
If you did not participate in our online survey, please do so by January 5. This is your opportunity to give us feedback about family programming at NAU.

If you took the survey last week, we ask that you do not take it again, and if you have trouble accessing or completing the survey, please contact us. We thank you in advance for your feedback.

Your student’s grades and resources
Although grades won’t finalize for transcripts or degree posting until December 24, your student can look at their standing for fall 2008 on Louie. Once there, he/she can access his/her grades under the Academic History section. If your student didn’t do as well as hoped, we encourage you to offer him/her the following resources:

If your student has been put on academic probation, an Educational Support Services staff member will contact him/her to develop a plan to get back on track. Click here for more information.

Wing Mountain snow play area
Northern Arizona now has a snow play area with plowed and managed parking, hot beverages, sleds, and other concessions.

It's a Wonderful Life
Adapted from the film by Frank Capra, the play tells the story of George Bailey, from the small town of Bedford Falls.

December 25 - January 2: University winter closure
January 10: Residence halls open for spring
January 10-11: Welcome Weekend
January 12: Spring classes begin
January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday
(university closed)
January 23: Last day to add a class without penalty February 1: Third rent payment due for the spring semester
Mar - Apr: Housing reapplication
March 1: Fourth rent payment due for the spring semester
March 16-20: Spring break
May 1: Instruction ends
May 4-7: Final exams
May 8: Residence halls close for the spring semester
May 8-9: Commencement (last day of spring term)

It pays to be True Blue
You are invited to wear your best True Blue NAU gear on January 2 to receive free admission to the men's basketball game.

The Lumberjacks will play at 6:30 p.m. in the Skydome against conference opponent Eastern Washington.

Expectations of financing college
Should you have expectations of your student if you are paying for his/her college education? You bet!

Here are some ways to talk with your student and negotiate so he/she has some say in what is expected in return for paying for rent, books, tuition, food, and fun.

• Talk about the number of credit hours, types of classes, length of time you are willing to pay for school, books, and other expenses. Open up dialogue about what will happen if your student doesn’t fulfill your expectations.

• Discuss when and how you will assess each semester or year. Will it be based on grades alone, or will it involve other factors?

• Do you expect your student to work? What do you expect him/her to do with this money?

• Let your student respond to your expectations and speak up if there is any area that doesn’t feel realistic or “fair." Go further by asking your student to suggest an alternative to something that is not agreeable to him/her. You want input, after all. He/she is agreeing to these terms and you don’t want to set him/her up for failure or yourselves up for disappointment and anger.

Talking about expectations makes your student a part of the process and shifts the relationship to a more adult relationship. It also prevents resentment and misunderstandings which may impact your relationship and communication.

This health tip presented by NAU's Counseling and Testing Center.

On the road
The men’s and women’s basketball teams travel on the road before the holiday break.

The women’s team will play South Florida on Saturday. The men’s team will play Wichita State on Saturday and North Dakota State on Monday.

Student-athlete spotlight:
Zarko Comagic
Hometown: Kraljevo, Serbia
Sport: Basketball
Senior forward Zarko Comagic had his first career double-double to lead Northern Arizona to an 80-39 victory Sunday night at the Walkup Skydome.