#LRbound

The Charge: New Student Orientation

We are excited that you are joining the Bear family. LR has made the decision to move The Charge: New Student Orientation to a virtual format. Information regarding move-in and other details surrounding on-campus housing will be forthcoming.

During our virtual program, students will have the opportunity to:

• Learn what it means to be a member of the LR Bear family
• Connect with campus resources
• Engage and build relationships with fellow students

Your virtual New Student Orientation will become available Saturday, August 1.

Watch your LR email for more information relating to The Charge and on-campus housing. Opportunities will still be provided for family members and guests.

Students must submit their enrollment deposit before registering for The Charge.

For information relating to The Charge: New Student Orientation activities and events, contact the Office of Student Life at orientation@lr.edu.

Enrollment Checklists

April 15

• Submit your enrollment deposit to confirm your spot and become #LRbound. Welcome to the Bear family!
• Register for The Charge: New Student Orientation. 
  For new first-year students, attendance is required all three days. The Charge will lead into the first day of classes on August 24. If you have not yet registered for The Charge: New Student Orientation, make sure to do so ASAP.
  
  For new transfer students, attendance is strongly encouraged on Saturday, August 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with optional activities August 21-23. The Charge will lead into the first day of classes on August 24. If you have not yet registered, make sure to do so ASAP.

• Fall Start

For more details relating to your event registration, including any document submissions, contact the Office of Admission at admission@lr.edu. For information relating to The Charge: New Student Orientation activities and events contact, the Office of Student Life at orientation@lr.edu.

May 1

• Lenoir-Rhyne Decision Deadline. Submit your enrollment deposit to confirm your spot and become #LRbound. Welcome to the Bear family!
• Verify your LR account information and change your password (be sure to write it down!). This information will be mailed to you within two weeks after submitting your deposit.
• Course registration begins. The course registration order will be based on deposit date and your registration for The Charge: New Student Orientation will be required. Course registration will not begin until all necessary documents are submitted. LR will be registering students for first semester coursework, watch your email for more information in early June on how to access your course schedule.

June 1

• LR Housing Information Form due. The form will be emailed to your LR email account. Everyone is required to complete the LR housing form, even if you plan on living off campus. Please review residency requirements.
• First payment due for 10-month LR payment plan. Visit the student accounts page for more information.

June 15

• Immunization and health records due. Due to COVID-19 and Lenoir Rhyne University offices being accessed remotely, it is asked that health information be faxed to 828.328.7348 or emailed to studenthealth.records@lr.edu. A completed health packet should be submitted no later than July 15. Visit the Support and Wellness website for more information.

July 1

• First payment due for 8-month LR payment plan. Visit the student accounts website for payment information.
• Parent must be approved for Parent PLUS Loan. Parent PLUS Loan applications for 2020-21 are not available for completion until on or around April 26. Visit the Federal Student Aid website for details.
• Private Loans must be approved. Private loans can be researched and applied for online through Fastchoice Private Lending for Higher Education. You may also use lenders not listed on the Fastchoice website. For information about federal or private loans, feel free to email the Office of Admission at admission@lr.edu.
• 2020-21 Parking Permits become available for purchase. This can be completed through the LR Portal. For step-by-step instructions view the ‘Purchasing a Parking Permit’ video.

July 15

• Final enrollment documents are due to the Office of Admission
  
  For first-year students this includes; final, official high school transcript and official SAT/ACT scores. Submit any documentation related to advanced credit including Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or college coursework from an early/middle college or dual enrollment program. LR must receive a separate official transcript from the college(s) attended in order to grant college credit. Financial aid may be impacted if final transcripts and official test scores are not received.
  
  For transfer students this includes; final, official high school and college transcript(s) and Dean’s Reference Form(s). Financial aid may be impacted if final transcripts and official test scores are not received.
  
  Office of Admission
  PO Box 7227
  Hickory, NC 28603
  admission@lr.edu
   
• Financial aid paperwork due including a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and loan paperwork and verification, if applicable. Be sure to include LR’s FAFSA code, 002941.
• Anticipated payment method is due. Visit the student accounts page for more information.
• Student billing statements posted via LR Portal. A paper statement will not be mailed.

August 1

• All tuition and related charges are due. Visit the student accounts page for more information.
• Purchase your 2020-21 Parking Permit in order to receive in the mail prior to the start of the semester. This can be completed through the LR Portal. For step-by-step instructions view the ‘Purchasing a Parking Permit’ video.

• All LR students must have a student disclosure (FERPA) on file. You may complete a new FERPA at any time. Please print the FERPA: Student Disclosure Form, complete, and bring the disclosure to INSERT.
  
  The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law which helps protect the privacy of student education records. The act provides eligible students the right to inspect and review their education records. An “eligible student” under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or one who attends a postsecondary institution. The intent of the legislation is to protect the rights of students and to ensure the privacy and accuracy of education records.

• If you have not yet registered for The Charge: New Student Orientation, make sure to do so ASAP.

  • Fall Start

For more details relating to your event registration, including any document submissions, contact the Office of Admission at admission@lr.edu. For information relating to The Charge: New Student Orientation activities and events contact the Office of Student Life at orientation@lr.edu.

August 24

• First day of class. For more information regarding the academic year checkout the 2020-21 Academic Calendar.

First-Year Experience

The purpose of First-Year Experience is to help students make the transition from high school to college, to prepare them to be successful in their college careers and beyond.

In more concrete terms, this includes fostering the academic skills and professional behavior required in college and introducing students to the rigors of college in general and to the unique educational culture of Lenoir-Rhyne. 

Each section of First-Year Experience has a specific content area, so students should select courses based on their interest in the subject matter; in all sections, however, students should expect to be challenged by the reading, writing, researching, thinking and discussing involved. This is a two-semester course, with three credit hours in the fall and three in the spring.

2020-2021 Course Descriptions

• Echoes of the Spanish Civil War
  In what became a horrifying prelude to WWII, the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) emerged from a polarized society in which the opposing sides could not come to peaceful consensus on important societal and political matters, and ended up dehumanizing each other. This course examines the issues and events that led to neighbors killing neighbors, and asks how that bloody dehumanization can be avoided in the future. More enjoyably, we will focus much of our exploration on the rich cultural production associated with the war, including film, posters, photography, painting, and literature.
   
• Gender, Race, Metaphor
  This FYE course will explore the social relationship between gender, race and texts. It will explore why metaphors have been called "dangerous things." Students will discover the social import of metaphors by means of readings, films, guest speakers and experiential learning. 
   
• Life-Writing: Reflection, Exploration, Discovery & Growth
  In this course, students will engage in writing workshops designed to help them grow as writers, thinkers, and learners.  Coupled with community service and service learning experiences, these writing workshops will provide opportunities for students to engage in self-reflection as they explore and grapple with topics such as poverty, privilege, inequality, violence, stereotypes, relationships, parenting, childhood, loss, spirituality, and more. Students will write in response to texts, their own lived experiences, and the experiences of others. 
   
• Love & War
  America is in love with war. What are the roots of this relationship? In the first semester, this course will focus primarily on the history of love beginning with the Hebrews and the Greeks. What are the different kinds of love and how do they manifest themselves differently? Whereas there are four different words for love in Greek, there is only one word in English. What is the difference between sexual love (eros) and friendship love (philia)? Are there other kinds of love as well?  
  
  In the second semester, we will focus on America’s militarization of love and the practice of story as a response to the breakdown of anything like “true love.” The second semester will focus specifically on whether “love” can become violent or if there is no love where there is violence. This means that there is a certain predominance in media, on college campuses, and in private relationships for love and sex to reveal an evil side to human nature. We will look at the rates of incidents, why it happens, power differentials, agency, consent, retaliation, warrior society, and patriarchy so we may all better understand it and prevent it. What might Title IX, philosophy, education, or theology do to mitigate rape and sexual violence and the suffering or trauma that arises from this violence?
  
  Each student will come up with a “plan” to better deal with this issue particularly on American campuses, but also in homes, the workplace, military, churches, etc.
   
• Making Space for All: Embracing Diversity & Social Justice
  Have you ever asked yourself, “Am I normal?”, “Where / how do I fit in?”, or “Who am I”? Most people ask these questions from time to time. We live in a wonderfully diverse and multicultural world.
  
  In this course, you will have the opportunity to explore answers to these questions while also embracing your own diversity. This will be achieved by identifying your own personality type and exploring how to use your unique gifts to enhance your self-awareness, decision-making process, and communication skills. Through interactive activities and selected readings of young adult fiction, you will also explore such topics as ableism, classism, racism, sexism, and oppression to gain a better understanding of some of the challenges people face and how they overcome them.
  
  You will identify and research a social justice or multicultural topic that is important to you, and then explore how you might use this knowledge to make a difference in your own life or the lives of others.By taking advantage of this opportunity to enhance your self-awareness and self-confidence, you will be preparing yourself for success in your personal, academic, and future professional life. 
   
• Masterworks of Music: More than Meets the Ear
  Every genre of music has a canon of compositions that people hold dear. They speak to us on a deep level, and we are drawn to listen and revisit them. What’s the secret ‘magic power’ of these masterworks? We’ll examine their communicative language, the constructive tools of music; primarily through art music of the Western World, but also encompassing jazz, world music, folk music, and pop music. This course is most applicable to students with some background in music.
   
• Politics in Literature, Film, & Music
  This course will explore politics through fiction, film, and music. Students will examine fiction and works of artistic expression to gain insights into human nature, human behavior, and politics around the world. Students will be exposed to issues central to the study of comparative politics, international relations, and American politics.
   
• Scientific Observation of Beauty
  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and when the beholder is a scientist with instrumentation, the number of “Oh Wow!” moments increases exponentially.  From atomic microscopes to broad spectrum telescopes, every level of organization in the universe is being viewed.  The beauty that has been and is being found is beyond human expectation.  This course will delve into the beauty of the world around us and the tools and techniques that are being used by scientists to observe it. 
   
• Social Distancing? Practicing Life Together & Life Apart
  We are living through a time when “social distancing” is recommended for our health and the health of our society. Yet, we are social animals. We are born into this world entirely dependent upon others for our most basic needs and we live healthier, happier lives when we share care and physical connection with others. Still, there are limits. 
  
  Does being part of society always help us become the best that we can be as individuals? When does it harm? In what ways does it help? Are there some ways of living life together that are better than others? How do we know? Over the course of the year, we will consider these questions and develop our answers as individuals and as a learning community through engagements with classic texts, popular movies, politics, music, social media as well as visits to several alternative communities around WNC.

Visit our Residence Life page to learn more about housing options and the services we provide.

• Student Accounts
  All bills must be addressed prior to the start of each semester. Complete the anticipated payment form by July 15, 2020.
• Lohr Learning Commons
• Dining & Food Service
• Bookstore
• Information Technology
• Campus Security
• Office of International Education
• Office of Multicultural Affairs
• Cornerstone Student Support & Wellness Center
• Student Clubs & Organizations
• Campus Ministry
• Convocation Program
• Alex Lee Career & Professional Development Center
• Fitness Center/Intramural Programs