newsletter

THE LEARNING RESOURCE CENTER
The Learning Resource Center (LRC) offers York College students the opportunity to learn in an active, collaborative, supportive environment. To assist you with your writing assignments, the LRC is staffed with professional consultants who specialize in education, nursing, business, and graduate coursework. Our Writing Consultants work one-on-one with students during every stage of the writing process, addressing the writers’ immediate concerns and offering suggestions to help them become better writers. The Consultants also offer assistance with MLA and APA citation styles. The LRC is located in the Humanities Center on the York College campus and is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays. We offer phone consultations for students who do not find it convenient to drive to campus. To schedule a phone consultation, call the LRC at (717) 815-1296, then email your paper, along with any questions or concerns you have about the assignment, to ccrimmin@ycp.edu Fun Facts for your Consideration: Students who go to the LRC believe they get higher grades as a direct result of their sessions. Of all LRC clients, 98% report that time spent in the LRC is beneficial to their academic success.

THE ON-LINE BOOKSTORE
Did you know that the York College Bookstore has an online way to get your textbooks? Simply go to https://bookstore.ycp.edu and follow the link to buy your textbooks. You can choose your class and section and locate all the books needed. We can ship your books, or you can have them held at the store boxed and waiting for you to pick them up. You are still welcome to call (815-1498), fax (849-1611), or e-mail (jpiazza@ycp.edu). Texts may be charged to VISA, Master Card, Discover, or American Express.

CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT - BE CAREFUL
Please do not let your matriculation status lapse! If you go two regular semesters (fall and spring) without taking a course or registering for continuous enrollment, you will lose your matriculation status and will have to apply for readmission. Applying for that is no big deal but here's what IS- in order to graduate, you must be matriculated. In order to be matriculated, you must apply for readmission AND TAKE A COURSE AT YCP. Cleps and PE134 challenges do not fulfill this requirement, so, if you are in the last stages of your program and don't need any of the courses we offer via telecom, and you let your matriculation status lapse, you will have to drive to the college and take a course in order to graduate. I am, of course, going to challenge this rule as inappropriate for distance students, but I may not be successful. A word to the wise!

COMMUNITY HEALTH
If you plan to take NUR456, please note that the following items must be received by Patty Myers (see address below) in the Department of Nursing at least two weeks prior to the start of the course:
1. Proof that you had a PPD within last 12 months
2. Proof of the following vaccinations (or titer or date of disease): TB within the last 10 years; Polio; Hepatitis B series; MMR series; Varicella; Meningococcal Vaccine or signed waiver.
3. Proof of current CPR certification (BLS for health providers as minimum)
4. A completed physical examination form. (within the last 12 months)
5. A completed dental exam form (within the last 12 months)
6. Criminal Background check results – If you are from another state, send your request in early.
7. Child Abuse History Clearance result – If you are from another state, send your request in early.
8. If you are an out of state resident, you must also have an FBI background check. Copies of documents obtained from your place of employment will be fine. If you have any questions about the requirements, get in touch with Patty.
PLEASE NOTE: Physical and dental exam forms, and requests for Criminal Background Checks and Child Abuse History Clearances are available on the RN-BS program’s website at: http://dragon.ycp.edu/~dcarter/nurse.html If you would prefer hard copies, e-mail Patty Myers (pmyers2@ycp.edu) or call her at 717-815-6473 and ask that a health form packet be mailed to you. Be sure to supply your address. If you are in York, you can pick up a packet in Rm. 127 in the Dept. of Nursing M-F 8-4. You must request your background checks at least one month prior to the start of the course, as they take time to process. Each costs $10.00 and the two request forms go to different addresses. Cash and checks are not accepted; you must send two separate money orders. Also, the YCP Business Office will automatically bill you $5 for coverage under our group malpractice insurance plan whether you have your own coverage or not. There is nothing we can do about that. Sorry! Mail all completed health forms, records and background check results to: Ms. Patty Myers Department of Nursing York College of Pennsylvania York, PA 17405-7199

TRANSFER COURSES
We're excited to announce a feature on our home page that will assist students in transferring course work from other institutions back to York College. We've added a page for transfer students that include links to twelve other institutions that list individual course equivalencies. If you are considering taking a course or courses at one of these institutions, you will be able to view on-line how the course(s) will transfer back to YCP. It's always best to meet with your Academic Advisor first to discuss the possibilities. You must also complete an Off Campus Study Approval form in the Registrar’s Office before you register for courses at another institution. Please contact Mr. Bill Benton, Assistant Registrar for Transfer Articulation, at wbenton@ycp.edu or 815-1448 for further information. To view the new information, go to: http://www.ycp.edu/admissions/transfers/index.htm

CAPP DEGREE EVALUATION
York College students now have access to the CAPP Degree Evaluation system (Curriculum Advising and Program Planning) that is available online through MyYCP (The Portal). This new tool is located on the YCP Web menu and is designed to allow matriculated students admitted in 2003 or later to check on their progress towards fulfilling major requirements. It shows students how the courses they've taken apply to the curriculum requirements for their major, and then displays what else is needed to complete their degree. The CAPP Degree Evaluation program assists matriculated students with curriculum planning in conjunction with advising sessions with their Academic Advisors. Follow these steps to access the YCP Web CAPP Degree Evaluation:
> Click on the For Students tab on MyYCP
> Click on Administrative Services
> Open YCP Web
> Choose Student & Financial Aid
> Click on Student Records
> Choose CAPP Degree Evaluation
Follow the instructions and prompts for entering the required information to generate a CAPP Degree Evaluation.
You should contact your Academic Advisor if you have questions, or wish to discuss the evaluation results. Remember, the CAPP Degree Evaluation program is intended for matriculated students to use as a reference, not as an official evaluation.

STATE POLICE BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR NUR456
As the Community Health course involves hands-on clinical experience, copies of your most recent health records, CPR certification, and background checks must be on file in the Dept. of Nursing well prior to the start of NUR456/457. Please mail copies of these documents to the YCP Nursing Dept. York College of Pennsylvania, York, PA 17405-7199. The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing has mandated that all nursing students, including RN to BS students, have a State Police Criminal Record Check and a Dept. of Public Welfare Child Abuse Clearance prior to beginning their clinical learning experiences. Because the results of both of these background checks must be on file in the Dept. of Nursing prior to the beginning of your first clinical experience, you are strongly advised to request your background checks at least 6 weeks before the start of the community health course. The fastest method of getting your Criminal Record Check done is to apply for it online, using a credit card number to pay the $10 fee. You may do that at www.psp.state.pa.us . The results will be reported to you almost immediately, via e-mail at an address specified by you. After you receive your results, forward them to the YCP Nursing Dept. While the DPW Child Abuse Clearance application form may not be completed online, it may be downloaded (both the front and back sides of the form) from www.dpw.state.pa.us. Click on Services for PA Children. Click Police Child Abuse Clearance and download both sides of the form. Fill the form out at least six weeks prior to the start of class and send it in. Specify that the results are to be sent to the Nursing Dept. at the address shown above. You may also obtain a Child Abuse Clearance application by phoning 717-783-6211 between the hours of 8 am to 9:30 am, or 2 pm to 4 pm and requesting that a request form be sent to you. Both the Criminal Record Check request form and the Child Abuse Clearance form may be downloaded and printed (but not filled out)on Drews' York College web site http://dragon.ycp.edu/~dcarter/nurse.html. If you have not resided in the state of Pennsylvania for the last two years, you must have an FBI Background Check in addition to the two checks described above. Fingerprints are required for the FBI check, and cards must be obtained from the YCP nursing department. The request form for the FBI check is available on Drew's web site (be sure you download both the front and back of the form) or by calling 717-783-6207.

IT'S IN THE MAIL
Students who take courses during the evening hours typically receive the Undergraduate and Graduate Schedule of Classes for each Fall, Spring and Summer semester. These glossy covered brochures are generally mailed in early April for Fall, in mid November for Spring, and in early February for Summer. Each student who has taken a class at York College during any one of the previous six semesters is included on our mailing list and should receive a brochure via the U.S. Postal Service. The Registrars Office has a listing of all students to whom a brochure is mailed in any given semester; therefore, if one is not delivered to your home in a timely manner, please contact Jane Endriss (jendriss@ycp.edu) to verify that your name is included on our list. If your name is on our list, then a brochure was dropped at the Post Office to be mailed to you. In addition, students may download the entire brochure, including the Registration Form, from the York College web site. To access the brochure from the home page www.ycp.edu, simply click on Academics, then http://www.ycp.edu/academics/584.htm - Evening & Summer Programs. After downloading the brochure, you may print the Registration Form and the Payment Schedule, fill them out, and then submit your registration in person, by mail, or via fax. As always, students may also view the Schedule of Classes for each semester, including open and closed courses, by accessing the YCP Web site.

If you have any questions about anything on this web page, feel free to send Drew an e-mail.