Info for First Year Students
The One Book, One Community Project
Michigan State University and City of East Lansing
What’s the assignment? All first-year students are expected to have read They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky before arriving on campus for the Welcome Days for the fall, 2008, semester. There is no written assignment, although you may want to use the guide questions on the back of this information sheet to provoke your thinking about the book.
How do I obtain a copy of the book? You will receive a copy of the book at check-in at your Academic Orientation Program (AOP). Unless you return the book before leaving AOP, the cost of the book will be charged to your account as part of the fall semester bill. If you choose not to purchase the book at AOP, you must return the book to the Academic Orientation Office, Club Spartan Room, Case Hall, before checking out of your AOP session.
How do I pay for the book? You do not need cash! A charge of $10.00 will be posted to your MSU account. This cost is substantially below the retail price of the book. If you decide to return the copy of the book provided to you at AOP, you are still responsible for acquiring the book, either from your local library or bookstore.
Why have a required reading before the beginning of school? Welcome to college life! At MSU, students are expected to accomplish learning in their own time, independently, outside of the classroom. You will regularly be asked to navigate texts and to interpret and apply what you have read. This is an introduction to what will become routine. Reading They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky will prepare you to take part in a variety of activities across campus and within the community where you can meet and learn with other students and with members of the community. This "One Book, One Community" assignment gives each new student something in common with every other new student.
An alternative format of They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky is available for eligible MSU Students who are registered with the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD).
Please contact RCPD for the alternative format:
MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities
120 Bessey Hall, MSU, East Lansing, MI 48824-1033
Phone: 517-353-9642
Email: rcpd@msu.edu
Web site: rcpd.msu.edu