• News and Deadlines
  • Move-In Information
  • What to Pack for COVID Identification and Care
  • Goodbye, Goodbuy!
  • Family and Emergency Contact Information
  • Providing Comprehensive Reproductive Care at RIT
• RIT Ready
  • New Guidelines and Updates on Return to Campus
• Information and Updates
  • Commuter Students
  • Campus Employment
  • Academic Success Courses
  • Instructor-Led Academic Coaching
  • Parent Poll

It’s amazing how quickly summer is flying by! We are already looking forward to welcoming the new class of Tigers next month at Orientation, as well as seeing the familiar faces of our returners. In the meantime, we hope you are enjoying your summer! 

Returning Student Move-In Information
All students living on campus are required to select a move-in appointment time. Student have already received an email with instructions to select a time. Returning student move-in will be on Aug. 19-20 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. More information about arrival and move-in can be found on the Current Student Move-In Guide. 

What to Pack for COVID Identification and Care
Along with the What to Bring Checklists you can find in the printable resource section of the Move-In Guide, we suggest you consider sending the following with your student as we shift to a self-monitoring mode for COVID identification and care:

• Antigen/home COVID tests. Work with your local pharmacy to get home COVID tests through your insurance or through the federal government.
• Well-fitting masks. Send several KN95/N95 masks to campus. We will likely have intermittent infection surges and mask requirements on campus may change.
• Thermometer. Thermometers are a good idea so students can check their temperature when not feeling well.  
• Over the counter symptom relief medications. Home medical supplies including acetaminophen/Tylenol, sore throat lozenges, and simple food such as instant noodles, tea, and broth are useful to have on hand.

Goodbye, Goodbuy!
Goodbye, Goodbuy! is a student-run initiative that provides both new and returning students the opportunity to furnish dorms and apartments at affordable prices. Last spring during move-out week, Goodbye, Goodbuy! collected over 20 tons of goods left behind from students, which will be on sale during move-in week. Inventory includes items such as: furniture, clothing, fans, lamps, fridges, televisions, and speakers, as well as items that students might have forgotten to bring to campus (hangers, school supplies, and kitchenware). This year’s sale will be on Aug. 14-16 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and on Aug. 19 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Gene Polisseni Center.

Family and Emergency Contact Information 
Please remind your student to update family and emergency contact information in SIS (Student Information System) by going to www.rit.edu/studentcontact. This official record must be updated by your student and does not impact your email preferences for this newsletter. To change your email address for the RIT Parent Newsletter, please do so on the Parent & Family Programs website. 

Providing Comprehensive Reproductive Care at RIT
Earlier this month, RIT sent a message to students regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. You can see this message here.

New Guidelines and Updates on Return to Campus
We are excited about plans underway for the fall semester. While COVID-19 is present in our community, it has evolved into a milder illness with significantly less risk to the general population. Although still actively spreading, the virus is not causing a rise in severe illness or hospitalizations.

Our focus is on allowing for vibrant campus life while tracking and responding appropriately to the virus. The Pandemic Planning Group will continue to work closely with local health officials and actively monitor community metrics such as case trends, hospitalizations, and availability of ICU beds. In addition, we will continue with our wastewater surveillance program as it provides an early warning of changes in COVID-19 trends within our campus community.

While we remain diligent in our monitoring of the virus and are prepared to tighten safety protocols as necessary, we are relaxing many of our former COVID-19 restrictions. We are aware of the recent attention to the vaccine’s waning effectiveness, but vaccination is still a valuable tool for protecting individuals and minimizing the impact of the illness on the community. Therefore, RIT will continue to require the COVID-19 vaccine for the fall semester.

Here are the updated guidelines:

Vaccination:

• All students, faculty, staff, and certain visitors (please see full Safety Plan for details) must be vaccinated (initial one- or two-dose regimen). Changes to the visitor policy are effective immediately.
• The booster requirement continues to be suspended indefinitely. If conditions change, we will reevaluate. In addition, we are monitoring the development of new vaccines and boosters.

Masking:

• Optional in all locations except public transportation and at health care facilities.
• Individuals should take proper precautions, such as masking, based on their personal risk.

 Move-in within RIT Housing:

• We encourage masking while indoors during the move-in process due to high-density.
• We ask families to adhere to a two-person limit in the rooms to reduce the density.

Classes/classrooms:

• Masking is optional.
• Eating/drinking is now allowed in classrooms.

Testing:

• Return-to-campus testing will not be required.
• Student Health Center will continue symptom and exposure-based testing as warranted.
• Our wastewater surveillance program will resume.

 Isolation/quarantine:

• Given the mildness of the illness and the vaccination status of our community, in most cases, ill students will be able to isolate in place in their RIT housing. RIT will work with students individually for those who require separate accommodations.

We are grateful for the cooperation from the entire RIT community in our efforts to maintain campus health and safety while minimizing the disruption caused by COVID-19.

We will continue monitoring the pandemic situation and communicate additional information in the coming weeks. Please follow the RIT Ready website,  RIT Safety Plan, and the Frequently Asked Questions for updated information. 

Commuter Students
If your student will be commuting to campus this year either from home or an off-campus apartment, there are some new things to consider. 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 Commuter Services website and learn about the support resources available to commuter students on campus

Campus Employment
Students seeking on-campus employment will need to produce several forms of unexpired, original identification. A driver’s license AND social security card together or a passport on its own are common acceptable forms of ID. Find a complete list of acceptable documents on the Student Employment Office website.

Academic Success Courses
Academic Success Courses offer students an introduction to develop and refine learning strategies in study skills, time management, and academic organization. Applied Study Strategies, Essential Study Techniques, and Study Strategies Lab are zero credit, pass-fail courses and open to all RIT students. Students should check the Student Information System for section start dates and to enroll. Three different courses are available. Prerequisites may apply.  

Instructor-Led Academic Coaching
Instructor-Led Academic Coaching is a fee-based program designed to help first- and second-year students gain greater awareness of academic success strategies and campus resources to complement academic goals. Weekly instructional meetings (50 minutes for 13 weeks) start during the second week of classes and are curriculum-based; students are encouraged to utilize recommended strategies independently. For more information, please see the FAQs. Interested students are encouraged to complete a two-step enrollment process as soon as possible. Availability for fall semester is limited.  

Parent Poll
Each month, we ask parents to respond to our Parent Poll and provide feedback on a topic related to RIT, your student, and you. Please take a moment to answer our July question on fraternity and sorority life.