SGA E-Board: Congratulations to the following students who were elected into the SGA E-Board: Moe Ameri, President; Alexander Schick, Vice President; Jordan Timmer, Secretary; Heather Langner, Treasurer; and Alia Fonseca, Historian.
Oncology Conference (SXM): The Windward Island Medical Association (WIMA) invites AUC students and colleagues to it's first Oncology Conference on May 11-12 at the Belair Community Center. Speakers will include oncology experts from the Sint Maarten, the Netherlands, Curacao, and the United States. The cost to attend is $75. To register, email [email protected] and click here to access the full program agenda.
Credit Card Payment Options (SXM): Beginning this May, students will be able to use major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and Maestro) in the Cafeteria and Bookstore. There will be a minimum of $10 on purchases. We are currently soft-launching this feature ahead of the May semester.
Exam Schedules: AUC is proactively working to limit construction around campus and to the university dorms. The following restrictions have been set to create a more comfortable study environment ahead of exams:
- Saturday, 4/14 – Sunday 4/15: No construction in the dorms.
- Thursday, 4/19 – Thursday, 4/26: No construction on campus or in the dorms.
- Thursday, 4/26: Restrictions will be lifted at 5:00pm, once exams have ended.
- Tuesday, 5/1 – Friday, 5/4: Campus work will continue but with noise-making activities restricted in the testing area of Building 2.
LH1 & LH2: Due to construction, LH2 will be offline and unavailable from Monday, April 16 to Sunday, May 6. Any lectures and sessions scheduled for LH2 during that time will therefore be moved to LH1.
Business Fair (SXM): AUC will host a Business Fair on Friday, May 4 from 11am - 2pm in the courtyard. Representatives from local businesses will be onsite to share information about their products and services, including UTS Telecommunications, Safe Cargo Services, the Mailbox, TelCell, TriSport, Thrifty car rental, Carrefour, and Avantika Thai Cuisine. All members of our campus community are invited to attend.
Campus Tours (SXM): New students are invited to tour AUC's campus and the surrounding campus community. Tours will begin at 1:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 3 and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 5 from the student lounge.
Mela Health Fair (Preston): AUC students are invited to join Health Mela, a fair that exposes young health professionals to various aspects of public health. On Saturday, May 5, volunteers will come together on help promote health education and conduct health checks. For details, including required training, visit Blackboard.
Project HELP (SXM): Project HELP invites students to screen community members for hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, and vision problems at a free health fair on Saturday, May 12. There will be a morning and afternoon shift and transportation will be provided. For more information, visit Blackboard.
Lions Club (SXM): The Lions Club is in need of student volunteers for their annual health fair on Saturday, May 26. This is one of the largest health fairs in Sint Maarten and will include opportunities to work with the Ministry of Public Health, AIDS Foundation, Diabetes Foundation, Sickle Cell Foundation and others. For more details, visit Blackboard.
Tips for Answering Exam Questions:
- Work on practice questions from material studied 1-2 days earlier. Rephrase in your own words.
- Logic and Deduction- Focus on what you do know about the topic, define key terms, and work from there.
- Try to answer the question, before reading the answer choices.
- How do the answer choices relate to the question? Pay attention to key words (all, not, only, increase, never, etc.).
- If the answer choices are long, break them down into parts. Often, a choice can be eliminated because one part of it is wrong.
- If there are images involved, look at the image first and try to figure out what the image is showing you before reading the question vignette.
- Eliminate choices you are completely sure to be wrong- then consider those answer choices left remaining.
- If you’ve narrowed it down to a choice of 2 answers, re-read the question, remind yourself exactly what is being asked, and look for any clues you haven’t yet used. Now re-read the 2 choices carefully, thinking about the wording, how each clue in the question relates to each choice, and how each choice relates to the question being asked. Select the “best possible answer,” since one answer should be the most correct.
Course Group Tutoring: Course group tutoring sessions are available in LH2 for 1st and 2nd semester courses. No prior sign-up is required but attendees should plan to bring pertinent books, notes, slides, and questions.
Mondays: Histology at 5pm; Immunology at 7pm
Tuesdays: MCB II at 5pm; MCB I at 7pm
Wednesdays: Anatomy at 5pm; Physiology I at 7pm
Thursdays: MCB II at 5pm; MCB I at 7pm
Fridays: Physiology I at 7pm
Peer-to-Peer Tutoring: Individual peer-to-peer tutoring is available for certain subjects taught in semesters 1 and 2. Interested? Please contact Academic Support at [email protected].
Academic Coaching: To maximize your learning and exam strategies in preparation for quizzes and exams, the Medical Education Department provides individual study strategies consultations that have been shown to improve students' academic performance. Students in Sint Maarten can make an individual appointment by emailing [email protected].
Preston Academic Support: Students in Preston, UK can inquire about academic coaching, tutoring, and other available academic support resources by contacting Ms. Sue Keenan at [email protected].
CARE Team: The Campus Assessment, Response, and Education (CARE) Team is a cross-functional team at AUC dedicated to student success and wellness. The CARE Team works together to identify and intervene, as early as possible, with students who are dealing with a challenging personal situation and/or exhibiting behaviors of concern that may negatively impact their academic performance.
Student behavior that is concerning to the student involved or to other members of the community should be reported to the CARE Team. This behavior may include:
- Unusual or erratic behavior in the residence halls or in class
- Extended absence from class by a typically engaged student
- Written work with troubling themes or references
- Verbal or written threats made by a student toward another student, staff, or faculty member
- Written or verbal expressions of suicidal ideation
- Messages on social media with concerning language
- Other actions which cause an alarm or call into question the safety of the student or other members of the community.
To submit a concern to the CARE Team, please fill out the CARE Team Concern Form.
Important questions:
What should I do if I witness student behavior that concerns me? IF YOU WITNESS AN EMERGENCY, CONTACT the AUC Security office (721-588-4018).
If you have noticed student behavior which is not an emergency, but which you are concerned about contact the CARE Team. The team may be contacted in several ways, The CARE Team Concern Form or by calling the Dean of Students at 721-545-2298 ext 4041271
What happens when I submit a CARE concern report? Based on the type of incident or concern you report, the CARE Team may contact you in order to get additional information and/or other crucial details. From there, the Team will determine the most appropriate course of action to take using the information you have shared and any other information that has been gathered. The CARE Team’s role is to determine how urgent the situation is and then to recommend or require that the student involved get the proper assistance.
Can I make a confidential report to the CARE Team? Will my name be revealed to the student I am concerned about? You can make a confidential report to the CARE Team. If you prefer that your name not be revealed to the student you are concerned about, it will be kept confidential. In some cases, the information you provide will only be known to you and so the student you are concerned about may know its source. The Team will always discuss this matter with you before taking any action that would make your identity known. The CARE Team’s responsibility is to provide help for a student who may need it while providing support for faculty, students or staff who have come forward with their concerns.
Will the CARE Team tell me the outcome of my report? The CARE Team will confirm that we have responded to your concern in some. In order to protect the privacy of the student you are concerned about, we will not provide you with detailed information regarding our findings or actions in a given situation unless it is necessary. We ask that you recognize our requirement to maintain student privacy and that you follow-up with us again if your concern persists. Each time that you contact The CARE Team, you share important perspectives that we would not know about unless you provide them. We address every concern and take each report seriously.
Should I call campus security? The CARE Team is NOT an emergency resource. If you witness an emergency or if there is an immediate threat to a student (either through self-harm or interpersonal violence), contact the Mental Health Crisis hotline at 721-587-6661 or campus security at 721-588-4018.
Why should I contact the CARE Team? Why not just call the Counseling Center? Reporting your concerns to the CARE Team ensures that your concern will be immediately directed to a qualified person, who will be able to determine the next best course of action to help a student in need of assistance, whether that means Counseling or another campus resource.
Can students submit concerns about friends or peers to the CARE Team? Yes, students may send concerns about their peers to the CARE Team. If you are aware of or have witnessed an incident involving a friend or classmate that concerns you, fill out the concern form and the CARE Team will follow up with the concern.
Will contacting the CARE Team get the student I am concerned about “in trouble”? No. The student that you report will be given the support and assistance they require by the CARE Team and other University and/or community resources. The primary purpose of the Team is to provide help to students who may be in a state of crisis. When you report a student that you are concerned about, you are ensuring that they will receive the best possible assistance from qualified staff members.
Library Returns: Please remember to return all Library items by no later than your final exam day.
24/7 Study Space: The new 24/7 study space continues to be available to students for after hours studying. To access the room during the day, use the Library reception area. To access the room after 11:00 p.m., use the corridor by the Dean's Suite. As a reminder, the Library will no longer be open until 2:00 a.m. the night before exams since this space is now available.
EXAM WEEKEND HOURS
- Saturday (4/21) & Sunday (4/22): The cafeteria will be offering special meals and snacks between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
EXAM SURPRISES
We want to keep you energized and well-fed during exam time! Stop by the Cafeteria throughout exam week for complimentary snacks and surprises that are being organized by several of our departments and student groups.
- Tuesday (4/24): Complimentary chips, hummus, and other snacks will be provided by the Kitchen Team beginning at 10:00 a.m.
- Wednesday (4/25): The Office of Student Affairs and the Spouses Organization will have free eats n' treats in the Building 2 cafe area from 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
- Thursday (4/26): The Office of Student Affairs and the Spouses Organization will have free eats n' treats in the Building 2 cafe area from 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
LIMITED HOURS DURING THE WEEK OF 4/23
- Monday (4/23) - Friday (4/27): Hot meals will be served as well as a la carte menu items between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.