Bear Cub Connection Program

• 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 on the residential side of campus (South campus).
• 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 Tutoring Times: Study Halls featuring tutoring 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. 
• 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.
• Through a Service-Learning experience, Cub Cohorts have the opportunity to come together to give back to the campus and surrounding communities.

Participation in all the above Program Highlights are incentivized by milestone giveaways, Flex Dollars, and more!

If first-year students complete the following, they will be entered into a drawing for a FREE Diamond meal plan for the following semester:

• One tutoring/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 (i.e. attending a cohort social)
• One cohort dinner per semester
• One Residence Life-planned faculty initiative per semester
• One CA-planned program per semester
• One approved Campus Tradition per semester
• One Hall Council meeting per semester
• One faculty office hour per semester
• One meeting with your Cub Coach per semester (i.e. attending your Cub Coach's virtual office hours)

Looking for a tutor in a convenient location? Looking for a quiet, supportive study space? We offer study hall tutoring conveniently embedded in four residence halls across campus! Residents from any building may take advantage of the following weekly study halls:

• CMP 100: Mondays (6-7pm) Schuylkill Hall Recreation Room | Writing Tutor's Name: Kylie
• Math 105: Tuesdays (6-7pm) Bonner 1st Floor Lounge | Tutor's Name: Ben
• Psych 11: Tuesdays (7-8pm) Rothermel Conference Room | Tutor's Name: Destiny
• Bio 104: Wednesdays (7-8pm) Deatrick 3rd Floor Conference Room | Tutor's Name: Mary 

What residents can expect:

• Our residential first-year experience mentors, the Cub Coaches, will be assigned to the front doors of these buildings to help students sign into the hall and escort them to the study hall/tutoring space.
• Dedicated tutors will be available in the space to help students with the course listed above during the weekly study hall time.
• A Cub Coach will also be assigned to every study hall to assist the tutor, ensure that the space is reasonably quiet, and provide non-course-related support to residents as needed (i.e. advice regarding campus involvement, study tips, using professors' office hours, class registration, adjustment to college, etc.)
• Their attendance will be logged to count toward Bear Cub Connection Program incentives, such as the meal plan drawing for the following semester (see above "Program Completion Incentives for First-Year Students").

We're bringing the campus resources right into the residence halls! Every month, we will host approximately 7-10 educational programs called "Bear Tracks" in residence halls across campus. First-year residents should select at least one of these Bear Tracks sessions each month to learn about campus resources and how to be safe and successful in college.

September Bear Tracks Options:

•  Tuesday, 9/3/24 (6-7pm), Schuylkill Hall Recreation Room
  • "Byte-Sized Living": The First-Year Residential Experience Graduate Student Employee, Megan Hughes, will teach residents how to navigate all the housing/campus-related technology, including MyKUHousing, the Work Order system for any room issues, the Clean Cash app for laundry, ResNet support, Outlook, campus printing, KU Ticket Purchasing, and our social media platforms.
• Wednesday, 9/4/24 (6-7pm), Rothermel Hall Conference Room
  • "Campus Safety": KU Detective Corporal Amanda George and Residence Life Associate Director Missi Moon co-present a session designed to share safety tips with residents who are living on campus for the first time.
• Thursday, 9/5/24 (4:30-5:30pm), Health Center, Beck 119 Wellness Room
  • "Time is Golden": The Health Center is presenting a time management session centered around personal wellness.
• Monday, 9/9/24 (6-7pm), Lehigh Hall Conference Room
  • "Community Living": Cub Coaches Evelyn and Calla will be presenting this session featuring tips about how to thrive in a residence hall community. 
• Wednesday, 9/11/24 (7-8pm), Rothermel Hall Conference Room
  • "Sensory Items": In this collaboration with the Disabilities Services Office (DSO), they will review the purpose of sensory items and provide giveaways.
• Monday, 9/16/24 (7-8pm), Schuylkill Hall Recreation Room
  • "Campus Engagement": Cub Coaches Jay and Violet will be presenting this session about getting involved on campus.
• Tuesday, 9/17/24 (8-9pm), Berks Hall Recreation Room 
  • "Campus Resources": Cub Coaches Beka and Emery will be presenting this session reviewing all the various resources across campus, from campus life, to wellness, to academic resources.
• Tuesday, 9/24/24 (5-6pm), Lehigh Hall Rec Room
  • "Library Jeopardy": Our partners from Rohrbach Library will help students discover what the library offers and learn some tips for doing research. At the end, attendees will test their knowledge by playing a game of Library Jeopardy!
• Thursday, 9/26/24 (5-6:30pm), South Dining Hall, 2nd Floor, Viewpoints Room
  • "Mi Cultura & Traditions": As part of a monthly series highlighting different perspectives from various identities, a panel of faculty, staff, and students will discuss their Hispanic culture.

OCTOBER Bear Tracks Options:

• Wednesday, 10/2/24 (7-8pm), Deatrick Hall 3rd Floor Conference Room
  • "What's the Buzz Around Boxwood": In this collaboration with the Women's and LGBTQ+ Resource Center, their representatives will review what both Centers offer. 
• Monday, 10/7/24 (7-8pm), Beck Hall Recreation Room
  • "ResLife: Who Are We?": Thinking about getting more involved in the Residence Life department? Curious about some of the undergraduate jobs we offer on campus? Megan Hughes, our First-Year Residential Experience Graduate Student Employee, will tell attendees all about what our department offers!
• Tuesday, 10/8/24 (6-7pm), Bonner Hall Recreation Room
  • "Policies Kahoot": Resident Support Graduate Student Employee, Rylee Burke, will review campus policies and lead an interactive Kahoot game for attendees.
• Wednesday, 10/9/24 (6-7pm), Schuylkill Hall Recreation Room
  • "Neurospicy BINGO": In this collaboration with the Disabilities Services Office (DSO), we will play a game of Neurospicy BINGO, all about neurodivergent experiences!
• Wednesday, 10/16/24 (7-8pm), Lehigh Hall Recreation Room
  • "Campus Resources": Two Cub Coaches will be presenting this session reviewing all the various resources across campus, from campus life, to wellness, to academic resources.
• Thursday, 10/17/24 (6-7:30pm), Rothermel Hall Conference Room
  • "Green Dot Training": Do you want to take part in ending gender-based interpersonal violence on campus? Become "Green Dot Trained" by the end of this interactive session presented by McKenzie Hollenbach (DSO Director) and Amanda Slichter (Residence Life Assistant Director). 
• Tuesday, 10/22/24 (5:30-6:30pm), Deatrick Hall First Floor Conference Room
  • "Designing Your Career Path": Two Cub Coaches will stream this interactive Zoom session, presented by the Career Development Center, on the conference room screen.
• Thursday, 10/24/24 (4:30-5:30pm), Health Center, Beck 119 Wellness Room
  • "Party Planning": Health Center representatives will share information about alcohol safety.
• Wednesday, 10/30/24 (3:30-5pm), Dixon Hall North Side Conference Room
  • "Coming Out Stories": As part of a monthly series highlighting different perspectives from various identities, a panel of faculty, staff, and students will discuss their LGBTQIA2SP+ coming out journeys.

November Bear Tracks Options:

• Monday, 11/4/24 (7-8pm), Deatrick Hall First Floor Conference Room
  • "Stress Management": In this collaboration with the Disabilities Services Office (DSO), their representative will share a variety of strategies for coping with everyday stressors.
• Wednesday, 11/6/24 (7-8pm), Bonner Hall Recreation Room
  • "What's the Buzz Around Boxwood": In this collaboration with the Women's and LGBTQ+ Resource Center, their representatives will review what both Centers offer. 
• Thursday, 11/7/24 (4:30-5:30pm), Health Center, Beck 119 Wellness Room
  • "Thankful": Come experience the power of gratitude in this session presented by our Health Promotions campus partners.
• Monday, 11/11/24 (8-9pm), Berks Hall Recreation Room
  • "Time Management": Two Cub Coaches will co-present a session all about planning your schedule and using your time most efficiently. 
• Tuesday, 11/12/24 (6-7pm), Bonner Hall Recreation Room
  • "Maintaining Motivation": A representative from the Student Success Office will lead a session designed to help attendees stay on track with their academic goals.
• Monday, 11/18/24 (7-8pm), Schuylkill Hall Recreation Room
  • "Money Management": In this collaboration with PSECU, attendees will learn the basics of financial health and literacy. 
• Tuesday, 11/19/24 (4-5:30pm), South Dining Hall, 2nd Floor, Viewpoints Room
  • "Valuing Veteran Voices": As part of a monthly series highlighting different perspectives from various identities, a panel of faculty, staff, and students will discuss their military identities and experiences.

What residents can expect:

• Our residential first-year experience mentors, the Cub Coaches, will be assigned to the front doors of these buildings to help students sign into the hall and escort them to the Bear Tracks program.
• Their monthly attendance will be logged to count toward Bear Cub Connection Program incentives, such as the meal plan drawing for the following semester (see above "Program Completion Incentives for First-Year Students").