Bear Cub Connection Program
Transitions can be hard, but the Bear Cub Connection Program is here to help at KU!
Through the support of Cub Coaches and a graduate student overseeing the program, first-year students receive help with their transition from high school and their acclimation to college.
All first-year students will be enrolled in the program. Students will be informed they will be enrolled in the program and assigned a Cub Coach unless they decide to opt out of the program. Instructions on how to opt out are provided via email in June.
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Program Highlights
- Access to a Cub Coach, who is an experienced, returning KU student working within the Office of Residence Life, Housing, and Dining. Cub Coaches are assigned a cohort of first-year students to connect with individually and provide social and academic support to help new students feel part of the KU Community.
- Invitation to Bear Tracks, a program series covering topics that will help first-year students be successful. Bear Tracks connects students with a conglomeration of campus offices who will facilitate these programs both in and out of the residence halls.
- MORE Social Opportunities! Social programs for the entire first-year class, as well as the individual cohorts, will be offered, including cohort dinners and shared participation in campus traditions.
- Dedicated Study Hall Times: Study Halls for students in the Bear Cub Connection program will be offered Sunday through Thursday for 2 hours. The sessions will be held in the residence halls and proctored by at least one Cub Coach. Tutors will be scheduled each night for added convenience.
- Closer access to faculty through the Faculty Series, a series of exclusive opportunities for students and faculty to interact outside of classroom hours through social programming, meals, discussions, and receptions.
- Meaningful connections with an assigned Staff Mentor to guide, advise, and uplift the first-year student during their transition to campus life.
- Through a Service-Learning experience, Cub Cohorts have the opportunity to come together to give back to the campus and surrounding communities
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Program Completion Incentives for First-Year Students
Participation in all the above components is incentivized by giveaways, Flex Dollars, and more!
If first-year students complete the following, their Housing Application fee is waived for the following academic year and they will be entered into a drawing for FREE housing for a semester, or a FREE meal plan!
- One study hall session per week
- One social program that is planned for the first-year students per semester
- One Bear Tracks Program per month
- One cohort interaction per semester
- One cohort dinner per semester
- One Residence Life-planned faculty initiative per semester
- One approved Campus Tradition per semester
- One Hall Council meeting per semester
- One faculty office hour per semester
- One Interaction with Cohort Professional Staff Mentor per semester
- Participation in at least two of the following:
- 1:1 meeting with your Cub Coach per semester
- CA-planned program per semester