• Prepare Your Student
  • COVID-19 Update: Preparing for Spring Semester
  • Spring Orientation
  • RIT Student Email Accounts
  • RIT ID Cards
  • Commuter Students
• Parent Tips
  • Parent Access to Student Accounts 
  • Billing and Payment Options
  • Family and Emergency Contact Information 
• Ongoing Support
  • 2022 Academic Calendar
  • Health Resources
  • Campus Engagement
  • Deaf Culture at RIT

For those of you who may have missed the first message sent in December, welcome to the Tiger Family! Parent and Family Programs is here to support you-the families of our students-throughout your student's RIT experience. The information below is meant to introduce you to some top-of-mind items as your student begins their RIT journey. You will soon be added to the RIT Parent listserv to recieve monthly newsletters with timely information about deadlines, events, and the student experience. Please feel free to reach out to parents@rit.edu with any questions!

Best,
Chelsea Petree, Ph.D.
Director, Parent & Family Programs

COVID-19 Update: Preparing for Spring Semester
RIT continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and we will adjust our protocols and processes as needed in Spring Semester. With the rise in cases across the region, nation, and world, we encourage all students, faculty, and staff — regardless of immunization status — to get a PCR or Antigen COVID-19 test before arriving on campus. As we enter this next phase of the pandemic, our goal remains the same – to protect the health and welfare of the RIT community and those around us. For more information, please visit the RIT Ready website. 

Spring Orientation
Spring Orientation for new students will take place Jan. 7-8, 2022. The Spring Orientation program is designed to give students opportunities to acclimate to RIT, meet with their college or academic program, learn about RIT offices and resources, and to meet other incoming students. Students must register for Spring Orientation by Jan. 5. 

There is no family-specific programming during Spring Orientation, but you are welcome to join your student on campus. The only session that parents are not welcome to join is the Academic Programming on Friday from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

RIT Student Email Accounts
Important information will be sent to students’ RIT accounts beginning at the time of their deposit—please remind your student to start checking this account on a regular basis. 

It can be tempting to log in to your student's account to make sure they are completing checklist items, but we encourage you to allow your student to take on this responsibility themselves, as they will have to manage their own schedules and accounts when they arrive at RIT.

University ID Cards 
All students are required to have a RIT University ID Card which provides access to residence halls, labs, libraries, meals, campus events, and more. Students can speed up the process by submitting their ID photo now and pick up their ID at the Office of the Registrar during business hours.

Commuter Students
Even if your student is local, starting at RIT will still be a transition for your family. Here are some tips to pass along to your commuter student on how to prepare:

• Know the best route to campus. It may be a familiar drive, but make sure you know what traffic will be like during the time you are heading to class. If you will be taking the bus, familiarize yourself with the bus schedule, including alternative routes.  
• Get a parking permit on the Parking and Transportation website. This is required for all vehicles that will be parked on campus.
• Consider getting a commuter meal plan for those long days on campus.

Check out the RIT Off-Campus and Commuter Services website and learn about the support resources available to commuter students on campus.

Parent Access to Student Accounts  
Students can authorize up to three people to have guest access to their eServices account, which includes billing notifications. Through guest access, you will be able to log into eServices using your own RIT username and password to view the information to which your student granted you access. Your student can start the process on the eServices website. 

Watch this video to learn more about third-party access. 

Billing & Payment Options
All billing notifications are sent electronically to students at their RIT email address. A reminder: in order to receive this notification, your student has to grant you parent access to their eServices account.

The spring 2022 billing statement was generated the first week of Dec. and will be due Jan. 15. Please visit the Student Financial Services website for more information about billing, due dates, and an optional payment plan.

Family and Emergency Contact Information 
Please have your student review and update their parent contact information and emergency contact information at www.rit.edu/studentcontact.

2022 Academic Calendar 
The 2021-2022 Academic Calendar includes all important dates, including breaks. Remember that, along with the academic calendar, your student should refer to their course syllabi for important dates.   

Health Resources
RIT has many resources to help our students be healthy. It is important, however, to understand the scope of care RIT provides in order to ensure that all students find the care they need on or off campus. 

• The Student Health Center provides primary and urgent care services for RIT students in a culturally sensitive manner. For chronic health needs and conditions that are beyond the Student Health Center’s scope of practice, students should work with a primary care provider from home or a specialist in the Rochester community.  
• Counseling and Psychological Services mental health providers understand the complexities of student life and support students’ mental health needs through short-term, goal-focused individual therapy, group therapy, drop-in sessions, and more. Students who are currently seeing a mental health professional or need long-term or specialized treatment should continue treatment with their provider, if possible, or connect with a mental health specialist in the Rochester area. 
• NTID Counseling & Academic Advising Services counselors provide personal, social, career and academic counseling services to all deaf and hard-of-hearing students at RIT. 
• Case Management is available to assist students in connecting to resources on and off campus, as well as helping students navigate complex personal problems such as insurance, hospitalizations, financial issues, and housing/food insecurity.

Campus Engagement
Students arrive on campus with a wide variety of hobbies and interests. Your student might choose to find a club that they were interested in in high school or join many in search of a new interest or activity. Campus involvement has many benefits including building friendships, better academic outcomes, and the development of “soft” skills, and with over 300 clubs and organizations on campus, there is something for all interests. 

Specific to NTID students, the Student Life Team (SLT) offers programming for RIT’s deaf and hard-of-hearing students, including late-night educational programming, spiritual/religious and civility exploration workshops, self-advocacy and community accountability mentoring programs, social and cultural programs, fraternity and sorority event collaborations, and club/organizations.

Deaf Culture at RIT
One of the most unique aspects of RIT is that it is home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID); more than 1,200 deaf and hard-of-hearing students study at RIT. Hearing students will interact with the Deaf community in courses, residence halls, and at campus events. There are many ways hearing students can be involved in Deaf culture, including taking ASL courses and learning through peer-to-peer opportunities like No Voice Zone.