Once you have received notification from our office that your program/course has been certified and will be designated as a Hullabaloo U program for Fall 2024 there are some important next steps detailed below. Please carefully read through the following information.

To help us manage all of the logistics, please complete the Certified Program Intake Form and submit to hullabaloou@tamu.edu by April 12, 2024.
 
 Course Logistics:

• If you have an established course number for this experience, be sure to submit it to the Registrar’s Office for the Fall course schedule.
  • If you are using your own course, you are responsible for all scheduling aspects including day/time selection, classroom reservation and managing enrollment.
• If you do not have an established course number, we will submit sections of FYEX 101 on your behalf. You will indicate this on the Certified Program Intake Form. 
  • If you are utilizing FYEX 101 sections, we will work with you to determine day/time availability and coordinate with the Registrar's Office for scheduling classroom reservations on your behalf. 
• In order to be eligible for funding through the Office for Student Success, sections must have a minimum enrollment of 10 FTIC students as of the census date (12th day of class). Sections with fewer than 10 FTIC students can still be certified and considered a Hullabaloo U program but are not eligible for funding. 
  • Hullabaloo U is an initiative specifically designed for FTIC students. In some cases, there may be transfer students or new-to-the-major students in a Hullabaloo U certified course. Sections must have a majority (more than 50%) FTIC students in order to be eligible for funding.

 
Instructor Information:

• You are responsible for recruiting and selecting your own instructor(s) for your certified experience. For each section, you will provide the faculty/staff instructor’s name, UIN, and email address on the Certified Program Intake Form.
• All instructors must complete the required training coordinated by the Office for Student Success. 
  • Hullabaloo U All Instructor Symposium- All instructors must attend the Hullabaloo U All Instructor Symposium scheduled for Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM in the Memorial Student Center.
    • Designed for both new and returning instructors for Fall 2024, the All Instructor Symposium serves as the cornerstone of the ongoing Hullabaloo U instructor development opportunities, community of practice, and an opportunity to recognize excellence within the First Year Experience. Symposium kicks off with a welcome from our administration, presentation of FYE awards, and a keynote address from a national expert on the first-year experience or student success. Following the keynote, there are breakout sessions, the majority of which are led by returning Hullabaloo U instructors. Breakout sessions provide a forum for sharing ideas, best practices, and innovative approaches to enhance the Hullabaloo U experience.
    • Symposium will offer both virtual and in-person attendance options. Once we receive your Certified Program Intake Form, instructors will be emailed with information regarding the event and RSVP instructions. The RSVP will provide both attendance options. Virtual attendance will be live-streamed event in synchronous Zoom webinar format.
  • New Instructor Training - NEW instructors (those who did not previously complete a New Instructor Workshop / New Instructor Online Training) must also complete New Instructor Training. New Instructor Training will be offered as online modules to complete at one's own pace OR as a 5-hour in-person workshop to be offered on several dates in May. 
    • The New Instructor Workshop establishes a foundation for new instructors related to the goals, purpose and philosophy of Hullabaloo U. Information will be shared about the needs of first-year students, teaching styles and techniques relevant to a seminar class, strategies for community building, reporting and referrals, and an overview of the common lessons of Hullabaloo U.
    • We will contact new instructors and ask them to indicate how they plan to complete the New Instructor Workshop (online modules or in-person workshop).
      • The online modules will be released in early June for instructors to complete at their own pace.
      • In-Person Workshops will be scheduled on several dates in May and will take place from 9:00 AM-2:00 PM with lunch provided. There will be an additional optional session from 2:00-3:00 PM on Course Design.
  • Required training must be completed by all Instructors before the first day of classes. Instructors must complete training in order to receive their bursary.
  • Upon receiving your Certified Program Intake Form, we will contact the Instructors with all training information. 
• Instructor Bursaries: the instructor of record (1 per section) will receive a $500 professional development bursary disbursed to the account indicated on the Certified Program Intake Form. The fund disbursement process will occur after the first week of the fall semester to ensure each submitted section makes. Instructors will need to work with their departmental business office to access the funds for professional development trainings, conference travel, etc. The funds may not be used for wages of any kind.

 
Peer Mentor Information:

• You are responsible for selecting your own Peer Mentors for your certified course. For each section, you will provide the Peer Mentor’s name, UIN and email address on the Certified Program Intake Form.
• Peer Mentor Stipends
  • A $500 stipend per Peer Mentor per section will be distributed by the Office for Student Success via their financial aid package.
    • Please inform your students of the stipend distribution process with the following language: "The $500 stipend you will receive is considered a form of financial aid, and will be awarded within your overall financial aid award for the upcoming year. Stipends will be posted in October for all active Peer Mentors. If you receive any additional scholarships during the summer, your financial aid may need to be adjusted. If you have questions regarding the impact of this stipend, please contact your financial aid advisor."
  • Funding has only been provided for one Peer Mentor per section (per 25 first-year students). For programs that seek to have more than one Peer Mentor in the classroom, additional $500 stipends would need to be secured from program funds in order to maintain equity between individuals in these experiences. Additional details about this process will be provided at a later date.
  • Peer Mentors must serve with only one Hullabaloo U section per semester unless approved by the Office for Student Success. 
  • Programs that seek to employ the same Peer Mentor in additional capacities beyond Hullabaloo U may do so separately through standard student employment means in their program. Similarly, if programs seek to have the student volunteer in additional capacities beyond Hullabaloo U, they may do so separately from this responsibility.
  • Peer Mentor Stipends Timeline
    • OSS staff will send UINs to Scholarships & Financial Aid in May 2024 for posting of the “placeholder/non-paying” stipend to the student’s financial aid package.
    • Following census date, an audit process of enrolled sections will be made to confirm Peer Mentor involvement. Actual stipends will be posted to student accounts in October 2024.
    • To receive the stipends, Peer Mentors must complete the required Peer Mentor training. 
• Required Peer Mentor Training
  • Peer Mentors will be required to complete one online training through the Office for Student Success. The online training can be completed at a Peer Mentor’s own pace. 
  • The online training will be made available over the summer. Peer Mentors must complete the training by July 31. 
  • The training will cover the roles and expectations of a Peer Mentor, history and purpose of Peer Mentors, facilitation strategies, community building, required university trainings, and more.
  • The training will take approximately 5 hours to complete. (Returning Peer Mentors will have fewer modules in the training than new Peer Mentors to complete.)
  • Please communicate this training requirement to your Peer Mentors during the application/selection process. Upon receiving your Certified Program Intake Form, we will contact the Peer Mentors with training information by the end of the semester. 
• Optional Peer Mentor Training
  • The Office for Student Success is coordinating two optional in-person trainings for Peer Mentors. Departments and programs can require these trainings for their Peer Mentors if desired. The in-person trainings are scheduled for the following dates:
    • Spring Date (tentative): TBD
      • This training will focus on leadership and community development.
    • Fall Dates: TBD (Peer Mentors can choose one date to attend)
      • This training will provide Peer Mentors the opportunity to practice skills and activities that will be expected of them as Peer Mentors.

Classroom Funds:

• Additional Funds are available to support Hullabaloo U course and activities, available by request.
• Beginning in June, Instructors can submit Course Fund Requests.
• These funds can support basic class necessities such as supplies and materials, but can also be used to support innovative ideas for course enhancement, community building, campus engagement, and collaboration between sections/ communities.
• During the Fall of 2023, the average awarded course fund request was for $140.