Travel plans
The sooner you reserve your airline tickets, the better. Summer carriers to Anchorage include Alaska Airlines, Continental, Delta, U.S. Airways, Northwest, Frontier, and United.
One Stop Student Services
See One Stop Student Services to find quickly the most important sites on the university's web page, including the Registrar's Office and the Academic Calendar.
Registration
The summer residency course is a ten-week session that begins in mid-May, prior to arrival on campus and via UAA's course management system, Blackboard. Our on-campus gathering will take place during this session. There's no need to worry about getting into the summer residency courses; no other students can sign up other than those who are admitted MFA students and given special departmental approval.
Computer Services
About two days after you're registered as a student, you will be automatically assigned a UAA username. You will need your username for email, wireless access, access to the Consortium Library databases, and as a Blackboard log-in. Check the UAA Information Technology site for help your username.
Residence halls have ethernet connections, and wireless hotspots are located throughout campus. For more information, see here. If you don't plan to bring a computer, you can find public-use computers at the library or at these campus computer labs.
UAOnline
UAOnline allows you to access your financial aid info, check on the status of your application, search class schedules, request transcripts, and more. You need your UA Identification Number to log in. This is different from your username. You can look up your ID here. Hint: Write down your ID and PIN somewhere important because if you forget your PIN, after about three tries the system will require you to call a living person to reset your PIN.
WOLFcard
TheWOLFcard is your official UAA ID card. It's used for checking out library books, using workout facilities in the Sports Complex, riding the Municipal Bus System for free, renting outdoors equipment, and paying for many campus services, including laundry facilities in North, East, and West Halls, university dining, vending machines, photocopying, and printing from library computers. Students receive an automatic $10 per semester for their Printing Allocation. Students and faculty obtain their cards early in the residency.
Blackboard
Blackboard is our online course management system. We use it as part of the summer residency to prepare ourselves before we gather, and to finish up the summer session. Core faculty will lead the online workshop class between during the five-week summer session between mid-May to early August. Students are automatically enrolled in the right course, and you will need only your username and password to access it.
CWLA will send you complete instructions about the class by April 30, but you can become more familiar with how Blackboard works by investigating the student tutorials and FAQs. This site will also explain the computer requirements for using Blackboard.
Mentors
During the residency session, you will have many opportunities to meet faculty members and learn about their work and ideas through the lectures, classes, readings, and informal discussions at meals and elsewhere. About halfway through the summer residency session, we will ask every student for a list of preferred mentors. Students will be assigned mentors who seem to best suit their needs, and there will be time during the residency for students and mentors to meet and plan the coming year's work.
Housing
All students will have private rooms with single beds and shared baths (between 2 guests only) in the residence hall. To make your stay more comfortable, you may want to bring your own reading light, extra hangars, a travel coffee mug, and a supply of your favorite non-perishable snack foods.
Campus Bookstore
During the evening author reading series, The Northern Renaissance Arts & Science Series, UAA's Campus Bookstore is on-hand to sell faculty author books, and many other books suggested by faculty for the MFA reading list. The bookstore is located in the Student Union. It sells texts, Apple computer equipment, snacks, and gift items. Summer hours are Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The bookstore offers a 20% discount off clothing, general books, gifts, and insignia when WolfBucks are used from the UAA WolfCard. (This excludes textbooks, electronics, and sundries).
Field Trips
Optional and required field trips are built into each summer residency. Some possible places to visit have or will include: the Alaska Native Heritage Center; Byron Glacier & Winner Creek Trail; Hatcher Pass; Matanuska-Susitna Valley; Mt. Alyeska; Campbell Creek Science Center; Anchorage Museum of History & Art at Rasmuson Center; and Chugach State Park (500,000 acres). Also, we're happy to provide information about Anchorage attractions or nearby places you might like to visit for a day excursion.
More to Come
Closer to the residency, CWLA will provide you with a student handbook and a residency handbook with more detailed information about the program, the campus, and the area. We'll also give you a heads-up about reading and writing that you'll want to begin before the summer session officially starts. Before the residency session, MFA students will be asked to submit original work for summer workshop classes.
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