Several Administration and Finance departments are spending part of their summer assisting incoming University of Houston first year and transferring students via orientations and resource fairs. 

Orientations provide students and their parents with the information needed to ensure incoming students’ first year at UH will be successful. 

By the end of the summer, A&F departments will have been a part of 20 orientations, including two virtual ones. 

Parking and Transportation, Auxiliary Services, Cougar Card, and the Office of Administration present information sessions in the Student Center South, Houston Ballroom, where students and parents learn about key services and programs that will help them succeed on campus. 

“Our goal is to get as many questions answered as possible,” said Cindy Crews, Office of Administration Operations Director. 

Richard Zagrzecki, Parking and Transportation Outreach Manager, Daisy Del Fierro, Cougar Card Coordinator, and Matt Oltremari, Auxiliary Services Communications and Outreach Manager, lead a session titled, “Learn.Eat.Park.” also shortened to LEAP. The session discusses four keys to student academic success. 

“Those are four pieces of information we want them to receive,” said Crews. “First, they’re going to learn about CTAP and books, the learn information. And then eat, which students definitely want to learn more about. Next, we review parking, as having a consistent transportation plan is also critical to a successful student experience. Lastly, we tie it all together with the Cougar Card, which is your access card to all these important services.” 

CTAP, also known as the Cougar Textbook Access Program, provides students access to required course materials before the first day of class for one low flat fee of $299. The reception from incoming students and parents to CTAP has been overwhelmingly positive. 

“Parents particularly are very excited that the low, flat fee is in place as opposed to having a big question mark hanging over them regarding what textbooks will cost for the upcoming semester,” said Oltremari. 

A&F departments also receive plenty of questions during their orientation session and the resource fair, where the aforementioned departments, plus UH Dining and the Campus Store, are stationed to inform students about their programs. 

Richard Zagrzecki, parking and transportation outreach manager, said some of the frequent questions the department gets asked are: How do you get a parking permit? What’s the cost? What kind of permits are available? 

Aside from answering questions at the Resource Fair, UH Dining also provides lunch service in the Cougar Woods Dining Commons for attendees, which also provides new students an opportunity to experience the dining commons. 

The orientation sessions to date have proved fruitful for attendees. In a post-orientation survey, attendees spoke highly of the LEAP session and gave high remarks that it provided necessary information. 

With the fall semester on the horizon, incoming students who attend A&F sessions will enter their first year at UH feeling confident about the services and programs offered to them.