Adult Learner & Student Parent Week 2024

Adult Learner & Veteran Services (ALVS) supports the increased academic achievement and holistic development for all adult learners, resulting in graduation from Colorado State University (CSU) and sustainable personal and professional success. We do this through engagement and leadership opportunities, community building, and resource facilitation. The ALVS also recognizes the hard work that student parents put into balancing family life, parenthood, and college coursework.

To celebrate the many adult learners and student parents on CSU’s campus, the ALVS is hosting Adult Learner & Student Parent Week. This joint week is to honor and recognize our adult learners and student parents’ efforts in obtaining their degrees while also providing them an opportunity to learn about the resources and support available to them in the CSU/Fort Collins community.

Schedule of Events
Week of April 13 – April 19

ALVS Events

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Adult Learner & Student Parent Week Kick Off @ Fort Fun!

Join us for our Adult Learner & Student Parent Week Kick-Off Event: ALVS at Fort Fun! This event will take place Saturday, April 13th beginning at 11:00 AM, with lunch being served at 12:00 PM. All Adult Learners, Student Parents, Student Veterans, ALVS Champions, Families, and Children are Welcome. This event is also in collaboration with Community for Excellence (C4E). 

RSVP and claim your:

  • Extreme Pass: Includes Unlimited Go-Karts, Laser Tag, Mini-Golf, Giant Slide, and seasonally, Bumper Boats and Paddle Boats, or your
  • Ultimate Pass: For individuals shorter than 54″. This pass includes Unlimited Laser Tag, Mini-Golf, Giant Slide, and seasonally, Bumper Boats and Paddle Boats. 

Transportation will not be provided. 

Fort Fun 

1513 E. Mulberry Street Fort Collins, CO 80524

Ram Kidz Village

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

RKV Classroom Activity

STEM Activities & Free RKV T-Shirts for Enrolled Families

Morgan Library, Room 201a

Ram Kidz Village

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

RKV Classroom Activity

STEM Activities & Free RKV T-Shirts for Enrolled Families

Morgan Library, Room 201a

Ram Kidz Village

3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

RKV Classroom Activity

  • Student Parent Appreciation Cards & Craft
  • Reading Rams
  • Free RKV T-Shirts for Enrolled Families
Morgan Library, Room 201a

ALVS Events

10:00 – 11:00 AM 

ALVS BYOBook Club in the LSC Plaza

Join ALVS Peer Advisors for a BYOBook Club outside in the LSC Plaza, where fellow book lovers can discuss what we are currently reading, as well as participate in an opportunity to work on our public speaking skills and storytelling!

Lory Student Center Plaza
Colorado State University
1101 Center Ave Mall, Fort Collins, CO 80521
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM 

Adult Learner & Student Parent Week Tabling

We’ll be tabling in the LSC to let everyone know about our services! Stop by, say hello, and come tell us why you LOVE adult learners and student parents!

Lory Student Center Plaza
Colorado State University
1101 Center Ave Mall, Fort Collins, CO 80521
6:30 PM 

Book signing @ 9:30 PM

Building Bridges with Revolutionary Love Keynote Speaker: Valerie Kauer

Valerie Kauer is a Sikh-American activist, author, and leader of the Revolutionary Love Project, a movement to create a healthy society inclusive of diverse beliefs and identities. Join us to learn more, as she discusses her 2020 book, See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love.

Lory Student Center Theatre

Colorado State University
1101 Center Ave Mall, Fort Collins, CO 80521
6:30 PM 

 

ALVS WATCH PARTY Building Bridges with Revolutionary Love Keynote Speaker: Valerie Kauer

Valerie Kauer is a Sikh-American activist, author, and leader of the Revolutionary Love Project, a movement to create a healthy society inclusive of diverse beliefs and identities. Join us to learn more, as she discusses her 2020 book, See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love.

ALVS Office, Lory Student Center 282

Ram Kidz Village

3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

RKV Classroom Activity

  • Student Parent Appreciation Cards & Craft
  • Reading Rams
  • Free RKV T-Shirts for Enrolled Families
Morgan Library, Room 201a

ALVS Events

2:45 PM

ALVS Food Pantry Run

Join us for one of our weekly trips to the Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry! Please bring your ID Card. Get your FREE ALVS canvas bag for you to use, and be sure to bring additional reusable bags to carry your groceries!

Meet in the ALVS by 2:45 PM, as we’ll leave by 2:55 PM to walk over to the pantry.

Meet in ALVS, Lory Student Room 282

Ram Kidz Village

3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

RKV Classroom Activity

  • Student Parent Appreciation Cards & Craft
  • Reading Rams
  • Free RKV T-Shirts for Enrolled Families
Morgan Library, Room 201a

ALVS Events

10:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Creative Destress

Join us for creative and soothing sessions where adults juggling the demands of life can pause, exhale, and reconnect with themselves. Whether you’re a busy parent balancing family and studies, a veteran navigating the transition to civilian life, or an adult learner managing multiple commitments, this space is to help you reclaim your inner calm.

Your well-being deserves attention, and we’d love for you to join us in community!

ALVS Lory Student Center, Room 282
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Career Center in the ALVS: Advocate for Yourself

When we first enter a workplace, we may not have control over the culture and we can learn to advocate for ourselves and needs within the organization. In this workshop, we will explore your workplace values, how those values are nurtured in the workplace, and strategies for advocating for your needs.

This is a joint program between Puentes|Bridges and ALVS’ Student Parent Group.

Free Lunch!

ALVS Conference Room, 381A
2:45 PM

ALVS Food Pantry Run

Join us for one of our weekly trips to the Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry! Please bring your ID Card. Get your FREE ALVS canvas bag for you to use, and be sure to bring additional reusable bags to carry your groceries!

Meet in the ALVS by 2:45 PM, as we’ll leave by 2:55 PM to walk over to the pantry.

Meet in ALVS, Lory Student Room 282

ALVS Events

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Family Fun Friday in the ALVS

Join us as we wrap up Adult Learner & Student Parent Week on Friday, April 19th! It’s a school out day for Poudre School District! Bring your family to the ALVS for a day of family friendly fun! Stop by to pick up your new ALVS t-shirt, and participate in our ALVS coloring contest.

8:30 – 10:30 AM (or while supplies last): Fuel your day with Breakfast Burritos from LSC Catering! If you’re bringing your kiddos to class, we’ll have coloring packets and crayons for you to pick up and take with you.

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Ram Kidz Village (RKV) Reading Rams Kick-Off! RKV is a Scholastic FACE partner, allowing us to provide books to families to build their home library, and this year’s theme is Ocean! Families can request one Reading Rams Kit per child and receive a brand new book, a themed craft for the book, a DIY ocean bookmark kit, and a learning activity (all supplies included to complete the activities).

If you’re already signed up for RKV’s Activity Kit Program, your Reading Rams Kit will be delivered to your drop-off area.
Preschool-K: 25 “A House for a Hermit Crab”
K-2: 20 “Magic School Bus: On the Ocean Floor”
3-5: 15 “If Sharks Disappeared”
6-8+: 10 “Song for a Whale”

1:00 – 4:00 PM: Resource Fair Bingo! Connect with local and campus resources and turn your Bingo Sheet in for ALVS and CSU swag like a NEW RKV T-Shirt (kid & adult sizes available), or a stuffed Cam the Ram!

ALVS Office, Lory Student Center, Room 282
1:30 – 2:30 PM

Family Photos with Cam the Ram

For Adult Learner & Student Parent Week, we are excited to announce that we’re offering family photos with CSU’s beloved 4-legged Cam the Ram at Family Fun Friday, April 19th from 1:30-2:30 PM. Sign up for your a time slot here:

Grassy Area South of the Engineering Building.

The easiest way to find us is to walk toward the grassy area outside the Lory Student Center doors near the second floor of the Book Store.

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Tabletop Tour: Board Game Friday (Boss Monster)

Every other week, beginning February 9th, join us for ALVS’ Tabletop Tour. Tabletop Tour will be broken into two categories: Board Game Fridays and D&D One Shots. Tabletop Tour is a chance to explore and learn new board games and give Dungeons & Dragons a shot without the commitment of a long form campaign.

Board Game Fridays: This is an opportunity to explore new and exciting board games! We’ll have a featured game that we’ll prioritize learning, and we’ll also have classic games available to play for those interested (i.e. Settlers of Catan, Monopoly, etc.). Bring is a friend and unwind with us!

For our Fourth Board Game Friday, we’ll be featuring: Boss Monster or any of the games we have previously played

In Boss Monster, players compete to lure and destroy hapless adventurers, racing to outbid one another to see who can build the most enticing, treasure-filled dungeon. The goal of Boss Monster is to be the first Boss to amass ten Souls, which are gained when a Hero is lured and defeated – but a player can lose if his Boss takes five Wounds from Heroes who survive his dungeon.  Playing Boss Monster requires you to juggle two competing priorities: the need to lure Heroes at a faster rate than your opponents, and the need to kill those Heroes before they reach your Boss.

Questions? Email André Eberspacher at andre.eberspacher@colostate.edu.

ALVS Conference Room, Lory Student Center, Room 381A

RKV Events

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Reading Rams Kick Off

What is Reading Rams? RKV is a Scholastic FACE partner, allowing us to provide books to families to build their home library. Families can request one Reading Rams Kit per child and they will receive a brand new book, a DIY bookmark kit, a reading log and coloring pages that correlate with their book, and activities to go along with the book (all supplies included to complete the activities).
Reading Rams Kits are created for children in grades Pre-K-8! If you’re a parent, legal guardian, caretaker, or have younger families you help take care of at home, you’re welcome to participate in the RKV Activity Kit & Reading Rams program.
If you’re already signed up for RKV’s Activity Kit Program, your Reading Rams Kit will be delivered to your drop-off area.
ALVS, Lory Student Center 282

Adult Learner & Student Parent Resources

Connect with an ALVS Peer Advisor by filling out this form. Peer Advisors are here to help answer questions, direct students to resources and build a strong community of adult learners.

While finding that balance is not always the easiest of tasks, the ALVS is a safe space for student parents to access resources and support as they balance parenting while pursuing their degree. These resources are open to students of all ages and backgrounds.

College can be incredibly daunting. With so many unwritten rules and cultural norms that seem to be left unspoken, navigating support in your educational journey can be overwhelming!  However, we’ve collected some tips from current students and faculty on how to best advocate for yourself on campus and in the classroom. Check them out!

Request a free ALVS tutor by filling out this form. Tutors available for most lower-division science and math classes. However, if we don’t currently have a tutor for your particular class, we will work on finding one for you.

Lexi West

Lexi Lexi West Pronouns: She/Her(s) Major: Social Work ALVS Identities: Adult Learner & Transfer Student Sign up for a 1:1 with Lexi here: Hi y’all! I’m Lexi West and I’m an adult learner and transfer student. I am in my senior year at CSU studying Social Work. I’m really interested in social policy and community resources. I love meeting [...]

Caitlin Butler

Caitlin (Cat) Butler Pronouns: She/Her(s) Major: Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Prevention and Intervention ALVS Identities: Adult Learner, Student Parent, Student Veteran Sign up for a 1:1 with Caitlin here:  I transferred into CSU after an almost 10-year break. As a veteran, I wanted to use my benefits before they expired, which [...]

André Eberspacher

André Eberspacher Pronouns: He/They Major: Chemistry and Philosophy ALVS Identities: Adult Learner Sign up for a 1:1 with André here: calendly.com/andrere/andre-office-hours Hello! Thanks for taking a moment to learn about me. I consider myself the observant, quiet sort. Small talk is not my forte. Luckily, I am blessed with a passionate and excitable disposition. I [...]

Kevin Melchior

Kevin Melchior Pronouns: He/Him Major: Political Science & Sociology ALVS Identities: Adult Learner, Student Veteran Sign up for a 1:1 with Kevin here: https://calendly.com/kmelch/30min My name is Kevin Melchior and I am an adult learner and student veteran. My collegiate journey had a bit of a false start. I enrolled in my local university fresh out of [...]

Melissa Gonzalez

Melissa Veronica Gonzalez Pronouns: She/Her/Ella Major: Nutrition with a concentration in Dietetics ALVS Identities: Adult Learner Sign up for a 1:1 with Melissa here: https://calendly.com/melissavgonzalez  My name is Melissa V. Gonzalez, I am a Chicana who can’t eat beans, onions, and garlic which helps explain my major. I am a Nutrition major with a concentration in [...]

Jhonnie Porter

Jhonnie Porter (pronounced yō-nē) Pronouns: He/Him Major: Restoration Ecology with a minor in Sociology ALVS Identities: Adult Learner, Student Veteran Sign up for a 1:1 with Jhonnie here: https://calendly.com/jhonny-97/meeting My name is Jhonnie Porter, I go by he/him pronouns & am majoring in Restoration Ecology with a minor in Sociology.  I worked as a data systems administrator in [...]

Meghan Haddy

Meghan Haddy (She/Her) Meghan is from Minnesota and completed her undergrad at the University of Northern Iowa with a BA in Organizational Leadership and Global Marketing in 2019. Since graduating, she has been working with the North American Office of the International Summer School at the University of Oslo. This summer she worked in their office in [...]

Jessica Roig

Jessica (Jessie) Roig Pronouns: She/Her(s) Major: Political Science & Sociology ALVS Identities: Adult Learner Sign up for a 1:1 with Jessie here: https://calendly.com/jlroig/jessies-office-hours Hi everyone! My name is Jessie Roig and I’m an adult learner and transfer student from Pittsburgh, PA. This is my third year at CSU and I’m double majoring in Political Science and Sociology. After [...]