The end of the year is almost here (how did that happen?), and this last edition of the New Student News gives you the information you need to make the most of the last few weeks of the semester. Throughout the summer, most Hampshire offices will be open. If you have questions pertaining to the fall semester or moving back to campus in September, please feel free to contact us at any point. If you don't know who to call, you can always start with the dean of students office at 413.559.5412 and we will direct you to the right place. All returning students should plan on coming back on Monday, September 2 (Labor Day). More information about that will be sent to you via email in August.

Finally, congratulations to most of you on finishing your first year at Hampshire! And now that you're not a new student anymore, why not consider helping us to welcome the new incoming first-year students? We'll be creating a photo album of welcoming wishes on our Facebook page, and hope that many of you will share in this project. To participate, stop by Cake Friday or the Portfolio Making Party (more details below) to have your photo taken for our Facebook album.

We hope you have a great summer, and we'll see you in the fall!

 -- Jessica Ortiz, new student services coordinator

Packing Up, Moving Out
Where did all that stuff in your room come from? Funny how stuff accumulates over the course of the year, isn't it? Here are some tips for packing and moving your belongings.

Boxes
Don't pay for boxes--you can find free boxes at all sorts of places. The easiest place to check is Atkins Farms; they leave free boxes by the cash registers daily, so you can help yourself. The dining commons also will often leave free boxes by Roberta's desk at the end of year as well. Grocery and liquor stores are also good places to inquire about boxes; they're often glad to have someone take them away. Try checking at Duplications (library ground floor) as well!

Store it!
Students may store up to three boxes on campus. Storage policies can be found on the residence life website, as well as information about where you will store your items (based on where you are living next year). Contact the housing operations office at x5453 for storage hours. For students who will be living off-campus, there is no summer storage space available.

Want more tips? Watch the New Student Programs blog for more information in the coming weeks.

Give Us Your Feedback
Have a great idea for a program new students in the fall? Want to help us build our outreach? The New Student Programs End of Year Survey will be coming to F12 entrants' inboxes in the coming weeks. We hope you'll participate!

Tuesday, April 23: Ask the Experts Library Drop-In Workshop Deadlines looming? Feeling the crunch? Need help researching and organizing your final papers and projects? Join the research librarians for this special drop-in workshop on Tuesday, April 23 from 7-9 p.m. in the Johnson Library, 1st floor. Stop by, get your questions answered, and enjoy some free snacks!

Monday, April 29: Hampshire course pre-registration ends
Have you registered for the Hampshire courses you want to take this fall? This is the last day to do so before fall semester. The deadline to submit five college requests has now passed.

Tuesday, April 30: Portfolio Making Party
Are you ready to pass Division I? Want some company while you put together your portfolio? Join us on Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. in the Dakin Living Room for free snacks, portfolio-making supplies, and advice. We hope to see you there!

Friday, May 3: Last day of Hampshire classes
Many of you have made it through your first year. Congratulations! Some students will stay after the last day of classes to finish up course work, others will leave. It's up to you how long you want to stay after classes have ended.

Friday, May 3: Cake Friday
Celebrate the last day of classes with the office of new student programs! We'll be serving free cake and snacks in the Dakin Living Room on Friday, May 3 at 4 p.m. Stop by for a snack break, pose for a welcome photo for the incoming students, and celebrate your accomplishments. You've earned it!

Saturday, May 18: Commencement
All students are invited to attend commencement: no tickets are necessary. To learn more about the ceremony and surrounding festivities, review the Commencement section below.

Sunday, May 19: Houses close at 10 a.m.
All students must move out of campus housing by this time. There are no exceptions. If you are going to stay until May 19, please plan accordingly so that you will be moved out by 10 a.m. More information about the process for moving out of campus housing will be provided in a future post on the New Student Programs blog. You will also receive more information from the housing operations office over the coming weeks.

Sixth Annual Eric N. Schocket Lecture on Class and Culture: April 18, FPH Main Lecture Hall
University of Massachusetts Amherst Professor Lisa Henderson will give the lecture "Queers and Class: Toward a Cultural Politics of Love and Solidarity" on Thursday, April 18 at 4 p.m. in the FPH Main Lecture Hall. Professor Henderson's research interests include cultural production, sexual representation, feminist media studies, and cultural studies of social class, with essays in a number of collections and such journals as Signs, Journal of Communication, GLQ, Feminist Media Studies, and Screen. For more information, visit the event announcement.

Commencement 2013
Commencement takes place on Saturday, May 18 at 11 a.m. on the library lawn, and all students are welcome to attend. No tickets are required, but be sure to arrive early to get a seat. There will also be overflow seating in the FPH Main Lecture Hall, where a video simulcast of the ceremony will take place. Seating on the library lawn is intended for immediate family members, so you are encouraged to watch from the outskirts or in the Main Lecture Hall. To learn more about the ceremony and surrounding festivities, review the commencement website.

"New Student News" is produced by the office of new student programs.
  Have questions, ideas, or announcements to submit? Email us at newtohamp@hampshire.edu.

For more information, view the new student website, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or check out our blog.