November 8th (National First-Generation Celebration Day)
First-Generation Week
Examples of First-Generation Programs
First Gen & Juice
- Celebratory Breakfast for the Millerville University community during the week of the first-generation celebration. Attendees typically receive a free mug and breakfast.
Tri Alpha Induction Celebration
- The tri alpha honors society typically inducts a class of first-generation undergraduate, graduate, alumni, faculty, staff, administrators and first-generation supporters during the first-generation week.
First-Gen Wellness Wednesday
- Health services, CHEP, and the Millersville University counseling department have been instrumental at providing a program during first-generation week. Some of the programs held in the past is how to cope with stress, healthy eating habits, and providing flu shots for the first-generation community.
Tri Alpha Program Requirements
Students qualify for induction into Tri-Alpha if they meet the following criteria:
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The student has earned at least 30 credit/semester hours (or 45 quarter hours) towards an associate's degree or baccalaureate degree. This includes half-time students.
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The undergraduate student has achieved an overall undergraduate GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.
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Neither of the student's parents, nor step-parents, nor legal guardians, completed a bachelor's degree (or, for students at a community college, the parents did not complete an associate's degree).
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Graduate students who are first-generation students can be admitted if they have completed the equivalent of at least one term of study (9 or more graduate credits) and have a GPA in their graduate program of at least 3.5. (NOTE: The executive board voted to change the GPA requirement to 3.5, but now allows for part-time students in graduate programs to be admitted.). (For schools using a pass, high pass, etc. system, a "high pass" average is required.)
Faculty and staff may be inducted as well. To qualify, they must have met the definition of a first-generation student listed above at the time they completed their bachelor's degree. Faculty and staff must be willing to serve as mentors for first-generation students.
A small number of alumni and honorary inductees may be initiated each year. To qualify, these inductees must have been first-generation students (using the definition above) when they completed their bachelor's degree. They must remain connected in some way to the institution which is inducting them— a member of the board or alumni association; the sibling of a current student; a volunteer; a donor; etc.. They must have established themselves in their post-college lives in a manner that can be held up to first-generation students as something to aspire to, and must be willing to mentor first-generation students, if asked. NEW UPDATE: Honorary members need not have been first-generation college students; rather honorary inductees may be first-gen students with some kind of connection to the institution (as indicated above) OR clearly be a first-gen student advocate, mentor, or supporter while maintaining a connection to the institution which is inducting them.
*(Information comes right from the tri-alpha website)
First-Generation Student Spotlight
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First-Generation Student Spotlight
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First-Generation Staff Spotlight
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First-Generation Program Suggestions
If you have an idea for a program for first-generation week or a program that you feel would benefit the first-generation community please email Dr. Christina Pantoja Williams at Cpantoja@millersville.edu. We would love to hear your ideas and see how we can implement them to create more support for the first-generation community.