Hey, Alexa: What Time Does the Dining Hall Close?

Saint Louis University (MO) students will have a little extra help figuring out what’s happening on campus this year.

All students moving into residence halls this week will receive a university-branded Amazon Echo Dot. The device, already popular in homes across the country, responds to voice commands and has been programmed to answer more than 100 university-related questions.

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Learn More About NACAC’s New Membership Model

Heard about NACAC’s new membership model, but not sure what it means for you?

We’ll be broadcasting via Facebook Live at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 5 with NACAC President David Burge and Kim Johnston, NACAC’s director of membership, affiliate relations, and governance.

Tune in to learn what NACAC members will be voting on at the national conference and how the model will make it easier to join NACAC, increase the diversity of the association, and expand access to our resources to more college admission professionals.

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Advocates Spread the Word About Afterschool Meal Program

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Have you heard about the federal government’s Afterschool Meal Program?

Advocates in Texas are trying to get more schools and community organizations in their state to participate in the initiative, which is available to qualifying schools across the nation. Experts say the program is under-used, despite its power to provide low-income students with a free meal at the end of every school day.

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Common App Removes Criminal History Question

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The Common Application announced it will no longer ask students about their criminal history, a big win for “ban the box” advocates.

Common App’s announcement is a shift in policy. The question has been asked since 2006. Common App last reviewed the policy in March 2017 and decided to keep the question.

“Our focus is always on serving the needs of members, students, and counselors. We believe this change provides members with the greatest flexibility and is most responsive to the evolving landscape around this issue. As the conversation around criminal history continues, we will keep monitoring it to ensure we support the needs of our membership,” Common App President and CEO Jenny Rickard wrote in the announcement of the new policy.

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Campus Work Programs Could Help Expand Access

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Editor’s note: A version of this post was originally published on Admitted in October 2016. It’s being republished as part of NACAC’s Best of the Blog series.

On-campus jobs aren’t optional at Berea College (KY).

Students at the NACAC member institution work 10 to 15 hours a week in approved positions either at the college or within the surrounding community.

The requirement has been part of the Berea’s formal educational program since 1906, and college president Lyle Roelofs thinks more institutions should consider the model as a way to address the growing challenges of access and affordability.

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#NACACreads: Help Shape Our Upcoming Discussion

Do too many students lack a sense of control over their lives and their futures? And if so, how does that affect their postsecondary journey?

Join us on Sept. 12 for a #NACACreads discussion of The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson.

In the book, the authors argue that too many teens feel a low sense of control, and as a result feel “powerless and overwhelmed” as they make their way through school and plan for the future.

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Women’s Colleges See Yield Increases

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Some women’s colleges are reporting especially high yield rates this year, according to a recent Inside Higher Ed article.

At Bryn Mawr College (PA), the percentage of applicants who accepted offers of admission went from 32 percent in 2017 to 36 percent in 2018.

Barnard College (NY), Mount Holyoke College (MA), and Smith College (MA) also saw 4-percentage-point increases in their 2018 yield figures.

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NACAC Member Sounds Off About the Importance of GPA

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High school students have a lot of questions about the college admission process.

Amariyah Callender, a rising senior in the Atlanta area, decided to go straight to the source to get hers answered.

Callender interviewed NACAC member Latrina Fisher, associate director of admissions at Spelman College (GA), in a new podcast for VOXatl. She admitted to starting her senior year off with a 2.9 GPA and asked Fisher how much she needed to be stressing about the final numbers.

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Regular updates on NACAC and the world of college admission counseling. For more information about NACAC, visit nacacnet.org.