Madison Family Newsletter: December 2024

Dear JMU families, 

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving break with your Dukes. It’s hard to believe we’re finishing up the semester this week, and I’m sure our students (and you) are looking forward to the nice long break ahead. 

This is always a time for me to reflect on the past semester and year, and to think about all of my interactions and the people I’ve met. That includes all of you and your students. Thank you for allowing me to be part of this important time in your family’s journey. I hope you find these letters helpful, as well as the student emails that I share with you. 

Updates 

There are a number of dates to keep track of this time of year, so here are some links and other information to help with that: 

•  Move out and move in dates for residence halls 

•  Academic calendar (when grades are due and will be posted, semester beginning and ending, Spring Break, etc.) 

• The university will be closed Dec. 20 – Jan. 1 for our employees to have a well-deserved break. Please keep this in mind if you try to reach someone on campus during that time. 

• In addition, I am taking a trip over the break with Jamie and some friends so I will actually be out of the office from Dec. 15 through Jan. 5.  I will have an out of office message up but if you need to contact our office when we are open, please email vpstudentaffairs@jmu.edu and a member of our team will get back in touch.  

Reminders 

Whether your student lives on campus or off, it’s important before leaving for break that they empty out their refrigerators, remove any other food that won’t last, take out the trash, and lock all doors and windows. Students living on campus should follow any additional instructions provided by their RA. 

Students living off campus should be extra vigilant. I recommend they take anything valuable home with them. We sometimes see issues over the long breaks as student housing areas can be targets. Please remind them not to turn the heat down all the way, we have seen issues in the past when pipes have frozen and caused significant damage. This can be caused by both leaving windows open as well as turning the heat down too low. There can sometimes be value in leaving one sink on a slow drip as well so that water is moving through the pipes, especially in some of the older houses.  

Questions to ask your student 

How do you feel about last semester? 

If your student is still working on finding their place at JMU, or wants to explore more options, there will be another Student Organization Night in January. If classes were more difficult than expected, you can remind them that they are more than their grades, and there are resources on the Student Gateway that may be helpful to them next semester. TimelyCare’s virtual mental health services are available for free to our students and can be accessed from home over break. 

What are your goals for next semester? 

This could be anything – get more sleep, better study habits, meet more people, try something new – maybe even spend less time on their phone. It’s important to be sure they are on track academically while also growing as a person so you may need to help them think beyond “Get good grades.” 

Academic Probation or Suspension 

Unfortunately, a small number of your Dukes will receive some challenging news over break when grades are posted. Some students will receive notice that they are on academic probation or suspension. This always comes as a bit of surprise for most families, so we want to make sure you have this letter and resources in hand just in case. The first thing to do is to read the email carefully together and then visit the academic standing page which gives a lot more information. The university isn’t open for a couple of weeks over break, so you won’t get immediate responses to questions, so focus on the letter and these websites to come up with plans on what to do next once JMU opens again after the new year.   

Until next year 

I hope you all have an amazing break and holiday season. I’m looking forward to time with Jamie and my Duke dog and will probably see some of you while I’m out and about both in Falls Church and around Harrisonburg. If you see me, be sure to give me a Go Dukes! We will be in London for the first part of the break so if you are over there before Christmas you may just see me around repping my purple JMU gear!!! Enjoy your time with your student, and I look forward to connecting in the new year. 

Take care everyone and Go Dukes! 

Dr. Tim Miller 
Vice President for Student Affairs

Submitted by: Brandon Cline-Taskey, Director University, Business Office

As the end of the year rapidly approaches, the University Business Office (UBO) wants to provide some important information regarding the 1098-T form, a tax document often used when claiming education-related tax benefits. The form only reflects payments received for qualified expenses (e.g. tuition and the comprehensive fee) during the current calendar year. Please be mindful that the values on this form are affected by payment posting dates. Consequently, the timing of your payments may impact the figures on the form, potentially influencing your eligibility for certain tax benefits.

The UBO plans to create billing statements for the Spring 2025 semester in mid-December, so please keep this in mind as you prepare to send payment. It is advisable to consult a tax professional for guidance on maximizing the available benefits based on your individual circumstances. The University Business Office cannot provide tax advice, but we would be glad to discuss the 1098-T form in greater detail should you have any questions.

Learn More

Submitted by: Jessica Hopkins, Assistant Director of Compliance, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships

The 2025-26 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is now available and can be completed by going to studentaid.gov!

The Department of Education (ED) opened the 2025-26 FAFSA on October 1st to a select number of schools and applicants to conduct beta testing and identify/resolve issues before making it available to everyone. ED recently reported that beta testing was successful, and they opened the FAFSA to all applicants!

To ensure students receive priority consideration for all types of financial assistance, the federal government must receive and process their 2025-26 FAFSA by March 1, 2025. This is JMU’s priority filing date. In some cases, filing later can prevent students from receiving certain types of financial aid, including state grants.

Please note that meeting the priority filing date does not guarantee that your student will receive university or state grant dollars. The number of eligible students and the size of our annual funding allocations are significant factors in determining whether sufficient funds are available to award all those who qualify.

Submitting a FAFSA comes with no strings attached. The application is free and available online at studentaid.gov. More information about the FAFSA, including videos, can be found on our website.

Learn More

Submitted by: Klaudia Whipple, Student Employment, Assistant Student Employment

JMU PageUp (jobs.jmu.edu) is the best place for your student to find the most-up to-date information about job openings at JMU. Each posting identifies the hiring department and provides a detailed description of job responsibilities, qualifications, hourly rate or pay range and a list of additional documents (i.e., cover letter, resume, etc.) students may need to attach to their application.

The Student Employment office recommends that students searching for an on-campus positons apply for as many jobs as they are interested in and feel qualified to fill. All on-campus positions are competitive so make sure your student has a quality resume, cover letter and references before beginning the application process.

Selected applicants will complete an interview process with the department. Make sure your student knows how to “dress to impress” with appropriate interview attire and is prepared to make a good impression.

The most-qualified candidate will be offered the position by the department. If your student accepts a job offer, the hiring department will need to complete paperwork to meet institutional, state and federal guidelines and ensure prompt payment of wages. Students must provide their hiring department with a copy of their Social Security card and, for direct deposit purposes, a voided check, deposit slip or a bank statement showing the full account and routing numbers.

In addition, federal regulations require JMU to confirm all new employees are eligible to work in the United States through completion of Form I-9. Your student will complete Section 1 of this form with the hiring department or on their own electronically. Section 2 will be completed either with the hiring department or with the Student Employment office. To complete Section 2 of the Form I-9, your student must provide documentation that both verifies identity and work authorization. You can see a full list of acceptable documents on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. All documents used to complete Section 2 must be original and unexpired. The hiring department or Student Employment must examine the documents your student presents and record the information electronically on Form I-9.

Your student is now on their way to gaining priceless experience and a good, old-fashioned pay check! For Student Employment questions or concerns send an email to studentjobs@jmu.edu or call (540) 568-3269.

Learn More

Join 12,000+ fellow JMU parents and guardians in the official Facebook group! This group was created by the Office of Family Engagement in an effort to provide a safe online environment for parents & family members to engage with one another. Request to join the group here »

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