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Student groups prepare for Aug. 23 move-in, will help new transfers adjust to life on campus

July 19, 2012

Move-In Day 2011As Move-In Day approaches Thursday, Aug. 23, student groups Tau Sigma National Honor Society and the new Transfer Residential Scholars are busy preparing to welcome students and help them ease into life at NIU.

Tau Sigma is a national academic honor society designed specifically to recognize and promote the academic excellence and involvement of transfer students.

Whether it’s their work with the RAMP program or participation in events such as Transfer Coffee Chats, Tau Sigma has been active in promoting volunteerism and transfer-friendliness throughout the DeKalb community.

Arielle Kalvelage, a transfer admissions counselor and Transfer Residential Scholarship coordinator, serves as faculty adviser for Tau Sigma. She believes her experience as a transfer student helped prepare her for success after college.

“Our transfer student leaders positively impact the campus community with caring attitudes, leadership skills and volunteerism,” Kalvelage says. “Having started my career as a transfer student, all of my successes can be attributed to philanthropy, involvement and perseverance.”

Move-In Day 2011The NIU Transfer Center was instrumental in bringing the Beta Upsilon chapter of Tau Sigma to campus in 2009 as an effort to promote transfer student involvement and to help ease the transition for incoming transfer students.

NIU’s Transfer Residential Scholars will volunteer throughout the year to assist students while transitioning to life at NIU.

The NIU Transfer Center’s Residential Scholarship Program launched in 2009. To be eligible for the $9,500 award, one must be an admitted transfer student with 24 or more transfer hours, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 at the time of application and participate in extensive extracurricular activities.

Twenty scholarships were awarded this year to students who aspire to be active leaders on campus.

For more information, contact the NIU Transfer Center at (815) 753-0446 or transfercenter@niu.edu.