December 2018 Newsletter

Parents & Families,

We hope your student was able to enjoy some down time during the Thanksgiving break, it is hard to believe classes end Saturday and finals are next week! As your student finds opportunities for study breaks throughout the rest of this week and during finals, Hicks Library is offering opportunities for students to destress. Students can also use the Wellness podcasts or stop by the Mindfulness room in the CoRec and practice mindfulness. Soon, your student will be able to step back and reflect on the fall semester and adjust for new beginnings for the spring semester.

Although we are only in the first few days of December, it has already been a busy month at Purdue! This past weekend the Purdue Musical Organizations put on a spectacular show, welcoming over 18,000 guests to the 85th annual Purdue Christmas Show!

Saturday, the Purdue Volleyball team concluded their season in the second round of the NCAA conference, losing to Kentucky. We congratulate them on an awesome season and can’t wait to see what they will do next year! On Sunday, the Purdue Football team found out they are bound for the Music City Bowl at the end of the month to play against Auburn.

On campus, the Christmas tree arrived to the Purdue Memorial Union yesterday afternoon, kicking off Holidays at the Union.

Many warm wishes to your family this holiday season,

Parent & Family Connections

Featured Stories

Purdue Gift Giving Guides

If you are looking for the perfect gift for your Boilermaker, look no further! Check out the Purdue Team Store for spirit wear. Does your Boilermaker need a tech upgrade? Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP) has information on computers, accessories and software. Last, but not least, Purdue Inspire released their 5th edition of the Engineering Gift Guide with MORE quality STEM books, SPACE-THEMED toys and books, and inspiring articles!

Changes to 1098T

In previous years, the 1098-T included a figure in Box 2 that represented the qualified tuition and related expenses (QTRE) billed to the student account for the calendar (tax) year. Due to a change to institutional reporting requirements under federal law, beginning with tax year 2018, Purdue will report in Box 1 the amount of QTRE paid during the year.

Depending on the students’ income (or family income, if the student is a dependent), whether the student is considered full or half-time enrolled, and the amount of the qualified educational expenses for the year, the student may be eligible for a federal education tax credit. (Detailed information about claiming education tax credits are available in IRS Publication 970, page 9.)

The dollar amounts reported on the Form 1098-T may assist in completing IRS Form 8863 – the form used for calculating the education tax credits that a taxpayer may claim as part of their tax return.

Purdue University is unable to provide individual tax advice, but should you have questions, you should seek the counsel of an informed tax preparer or adviser.

Below is a blank sample of the 2018 Form 1098-T, that you will receive in January 2019, for your general reference. For more information and additional resources about Form 1098-T, visit the Office of the Bursar website.

Form 1098-T Example

News from the Division of Financial Aid -Applying for Purdue Scholarships

Incoming freshmen needed to have a complete admissions application submitted by the November 1 Early Action deadline to be considered for Purdue’s merit scholarships.

New students enrolling in one of the colleges or schools listed below should also complete the Purdue Supplemental Scholarship Application by December 15, 2018 for consideration of additional college and school scholarships.

*Agriculture

*Health & Human Sciences

*Krannert School of Management

*Polytechnic Institute

New students will access The Purdue Supplemental Scholarship Application through their admissions portal.

Scholarships awarded through the Purdue Supplemental Scholarship Application are based on merit, need or a combination of the two. Complete the 2019-2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by December 15, 2018 for consideration of those scholarships with a need component.

Current Students: See the list of deadlines below for the different colleges/schools that use the Purdue Supplemental Scholarship Application.

Agriculture — February 1
Chemical Engineering — April 1
Health and Human Sciences — January 1
Liberal Arts — April 1
Management — March 1
Polytechnic Institute* — March 1

*Polytechnic Institute Statewide students should complete the Purdue Supplemental Scholarship Application and select Purdue Polytechnic as their school. Polytechnic Institute Statewide students may complete the application by August 1.

Current students must complete the 2019-2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by January 1, 2019 for consideration of those scholarships with a need component.

See https://www.purdue.edu/dfa/students/how-to-apply/more.html#purdue for information on how to apply for additional Purdue Departmental Scholarships.

Parents Fund Update

During the Fall meeting, the Purdue University Parent & Family Advisory Board selected the recipients of this year’s "Big Give" Grant. The Big Give Grant is made possible through the generosity of many Purdue parents and families by their gifts to the Parents Fund. Grants support initiatives that will have a significant reach and impact on Purdue students. The following recipients received awards:

Center for Career Opportunities Career Closet
Office of the Dean of Students, Student of Concern Informational Cards
SPAN Plan Non-Traditional Student Services, Child Care Assistance
Counseling and Psychological Services, Campus Wide Outreach Programs
Office of the Dean of Students, Dean on Call Resource Card

Each of these winners and their programs will be highlighted in future monthly newsletters. For more information about the Purdue Parents Fund or to make a gift, visit Parents Fund.

Join the Parents in Partnership

Our Boilermaker families play an integral role in impacting the experience of all Purdue students, including their own. Parent and family giving means higher levels of success during and beyond our students’ time on campus.

Why the Parents Fund?

The Purdue Parents Fund supports the student life experience by supporting programs, departments, and initiatives that are of critical concern to parents and students alike.

“Gatekeeper” training for faculty and staff to support students during times of mental health crisis
Center for Career Opportunities resources for students applying for jobs and internships
Campus Food Pantry for food insecure students

Who are the Parents in Partnership?

Those who make a gift of $1,000 or more annually to the Purdue Parents Fund will become part of the new Purdue Student Life Parents in Partnership family.
Exclusive access to “Has Your Boiler Ever…?” monthly webinars featuring Purdue administrators and staff (first to be in January 2019)
Quarterly emails with updates on Purdue news and events, as well as resources and parent-to-parent advice
Partnership-only events and receptions
Automatic membership to the Purdue President’s Council, which features exclusive invitations to events, cruises, travel adventures, and more.

Partner with us and join the growing number of engaged parents and family members who say yes to ensuring Purdue’s students’ continued success! https://giving.purdue.edu/studentlifeparents

CCO Spotlight

As the New Year approaches the CCO wants to remind parents and family members about our upcoming 2019 career fairs. Students who are pursing majors within aviation, construction management, hospitality and tourism management, sports and entertainment as well as agriculture are encouraged to attend. To view these career fairs students can visit https://www.cco.purdue.edu/Calendar. To ensure your student is prepared for this next step of the college experience we invite them to our resume and cover letter drop in services. The CCO has peer and career consultants ready to assist your student Monday-Friday, 10:00am-4:00pm. The CCO career planning handbook, used by our staff, is available on our website should your student have additional questions before or after their drop in appointment. Students can review resume and cover letter samples by clicking on the CCO link provided https://www.cco.purdue.edu/Files/Uploaded/Handbook.pdf.

Host-A-Boiler

As the holiday season is quickly approaching we are sure you are very excited to have your Boilermakers headed home for break! This is a time to be with family and for the students to take a break from their college career.

There are many international students on our campus who are not as fortunate to be able to return home during the winter recess. The Host-A-Boiler program began five years ago and provides a wonderful opportunity for international students who will be in the local area during the break to be hosted for a meal or other activities by local families.

Host-A-Boiler is looking for volunteers to host these students. If this is an opportunity you and your family would enjoy, please consider hosting this holiday season. To find additional information on the program or to signup, please proceed to the following link: https://youtu.be/Qotb0i9sMus. The deadline for a one-time get together over Winter break is December 11^th.

University Residences Winter Break Housing

University Residences will be closed for winter recess starting at noon December 17^ththrough January 3^rd. During this time, students have the option to sign up for room only-interim housing. Room only-interim housing is available to students wishing to stay during the break for an additional charge of $330, as room and board charges do not cover this scheduled vacation period (except for Purdue Village, Hilltop Apartments and UR Boiler Apartments). For more information visit the Winter Break Housing page.

Upcoming Events

Holidays in the Union

One of Purdue's longest running traditions, Holidays at the Union began ushering in the holidays on December 3 in the Great Hall of the Purdue Memorial Union with the arrival of the Christmas Tree. The official lighting of the tree will take place at 6:00 p.m. this evening, Tuesday, December 4.

Visitors will also be able to see and vote for their favorite gingerbread creation. The gingerbread competition showcases the talent of Purdue Dining Services employees, who create gingerbread compositions to be judged by a panel of University employees and students. The creations arrived Monday, December 3, and will remain on display through December 7. The display is located in the Main Lounge directly adjacent to the Great Hall in PMU.

Performances by Purdue musical groups and community groups will take place from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm from Wednesday, December 5 through December 7. This year the Purdue Student Union Board in collaboration with cultural organizations will host Celebration of Holidays in the PMU North Ballroom on December 5^th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to display holidays spinning the globe. Celebrations will continue through Saturday, December 8th with Breakfast with Santa in the PMU Great Hall.

Watch Parent & Family Connections Facebook page for photos and videos of various events.