Newsletter February 2020

News and Deadlines

RIT Family Coffee Connections
Parent & Family Programs is piloting a new event for families this spring—RIT Family Coffee Connections. These casual get-togethers provide a spot for you to meet, interact, and relax with a cup of coffee alongside other RIT parents in your neighborhood. We are piloting the Coffee Connections in selected cities this spring:

          Southeastern CT
          Saturday, March 21; 2-4 p.m.
          Café Sol
          346 Main Street
          Niantic, CT 06357

          Pleasantville, NY
          Sunday, March 22; 3-5 p.m.
          Jean-Jacques’ Culinary Creations
          468 Bedford Road
          Pleasantville, NY 10570

          Auburn, NY
          Saturday, March 28; 10 a.m.-noon
          New Hope Mills Café
          181 York St
          Auburn, NY 13021

          Philadelphia, PA 
          Sunday, March 29; 2-4 p.m.
          Abyss Coffee  
          30 S Bethlehem Pike
          Ambler, PA 19002

If you live near these locations and would like to join our Coffee Connections, please rsvp on this form. Upon arrival, grab a beverage of your choice and look for your RIT parent hosts. Our hosts are looking forward to welcoming you and kicking off what we hope is an annual Tiger family tradition! 

Buy a Brick
You can make your mark at RIT today with the purchase of a brick that can be engraved to commemorate your graduate. Direct your gift to one of 19 scholarship and student life funds, helping current and future students while you become a part of RIT’s history. Your student’s brick will be placed on Philanthropy Way—a visible symbol of many who give to RIT. Visit Buy A Brick for more information or to place an order. The deadline to order bricks for installation by Commencement 2020 is March 15.

Alumni Legacy Endowed Scholarship  
Established by Alumni Association leadership in 2002, the RIT Alumni Legacy Endowed Scholarship provides academic scholarships annually to the children or grandchildren of alumni who are enrolled at RIT (incoming and returning). Applicants must demonstrate financial need, academic achievement, and leadership ability. Information about this scholarship opportunity and the online application form can be found on the Alumni Association website. The deadline to apply is March 16.

Change of Major Fair
The Change of Major Fair is an opportunity for students to learn about the available majors on campus and the resources offered to change majors. Representatives from all nine colleges, University Exploration, Career Counseling, and the School of Individualized Study will be at the fair to talk with students about their options. The Change of Major Fair is on Friday, March 20 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Student Alumni Union, Fireside Lounge. Food will be provided.

Orientation Leader Positions
New Student Orientation is currently recruiting student leaders to serve as Orientation Leaders for next year's incoming class. Orientation Leaders (OLs) provide leadership and are a positive role model for new students and aid in their transition to RIT. There are 11 upcoming information sessions for interested students. Information about the information sessions and how to apply can be found on the Orientation Leader website. Applications are due by March 20.

Imagine RIT Save-the-Date
Imagine RIT 2020 is on Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Visit the Imagine RIT website to learn more about this RIT tradition and make your plans. 

Student Profile

Study Abroad Participant Mark Parfait
Mark is a 4th year New Media Marketing major who recently returned from a semester abroad in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Mark, who is also a Parent & Family Programs student employee, shares his experience below. 

When I first came to RIT, I learned about our global campuses in Croatia, Kosovo, and Dubai and thought that it would be really cool to study aboard and experience life on the other side of the world. My second year, I planned to go on a short-term program that unfortunately fell through, but my advisor told me that, for the same price, I could go for the whole semester! After looking into it, I made the decision to study in Dubrovnik, Croatia for the fall 2019 semester.

I chose this location because one focus on this campus is hospitality; I had four electives to take and I thought that these would fall right in with my major. I took classes like Food & Beverage and Franchising in the Service Sector. Dubrovnik is also the filming location of Game of Thrones, Kings Landing. So of course I wanted to see how it was walking down the stairs with someone yelling “SHAME” at me!

The biggest challenge leading up to my trip was just making sure I had everything I needed. I knew that this wasn’t going to be like home. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to order something off Amazon and have it shipped to me. I checked my bags six times before leaving—it was a stressful time! In the end, I went with what I had and found out that I brought just enough stuff. Not too much, but also just enough.

My parents weren’t too excited about me leaving the country on my own. In the end, they supported me and my decision to study abroad. About a month before I left, it must have hit them for real because that’s when I got a call from both of them asking me all the questions any parent would: “What’s the address where you’re staying?” “When are you landing?” “When does your plane leave?” “When is your flight back home?” I think they were worried, but RIT tells you everything you need to know about your trip and is supportive through the whole process. My parents were surprised on how easy RIT made it. If you have any questions about study abroad, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Education Abroad office or any of the Global Ambassadors—no question is a dumb question.

My study abroad experience will be used in my personal life because for four months I had to live as others did. I had to hang my clothes on the line every week to do laundry and rely on pictures at the grocery to know what I was buying. I even had to use google translator to find out how to make some of the food! The challenges I had during my time abroad were mostly adapting and blending in with the Croatian culture. These experiences helped me grow in my professional life too, as I have learned how other to interact with other cultures including, but not limited to, Dutch, French, Spanish, Hungarian, and Balkan. Each place I visited was a new culture and a new way of living. It’s crazy how different everything is in other countries around the world.

Information and Updates

Counseling Locations Around Campus
To provide easier access to services in a comfortable setting for students, Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) has clinical offices in a variety of locations around campus. These embedded offices offer short-term, goal-focused therapy by appointment only with the same privacy and confidentiality as the main office. Locations and hours include: 

          College of Art and Design
          Gannett Hall 1036
          Tuesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
          Wednesday 8:30-11 a.m.

          College of Computing and Information Sciences
          Golisano Hall 1575
          Tuesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

          College of Science
          Orange Hall 1305
          Monday and Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
          Wednesday 1-5 p.m.

          Kate Gleason College of Engineering
          Gleason Hall 2101
          Tuesday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
          Wednesday 1-4:30 p.m.
          Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

          Multicultural Center for Academic Success
          Student Alumni Union 2300
          Monday and Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

          Student Health Center
          August Center 1132
          Monday and Thursday 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

          Q Center
          Student Alumni Union A530
          Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Financial Aid Forms Reminder
As you and your student submit financial aid forms, appeals for additional aid, and other required financial aid documentation, please remember to use the secure document uploader. Forms are not accepted via email in order to protect your family’s privacy and confidential information. You may also mail or drop off documentation directly at the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.  

Spring Break
Spring Break is on March 8-15. If your student is traveling, please have a discussion within the next month about Spring Break safety and health. RIT Housing requests that students who are leaving their RIT housing for the week prepare by emptying trash cans and cleaning out fridges, locking windows and doors, and unplugging electronic equipment (fridges can remain plugged in). Dining hours and locations during the week can be found on the RIT Dining website.

My Bus Home
My Bus Home arranges one-way and round-trip transportation for all academic breaks in private, fully-insured motor coach buses with restrooms, Wi-Fi, and a DVD player. The buses pick up on campus and go to/from central locations in:

• Plymouth Meeting & Allentown, PA; Bridgewater, NJ,
• NYC; Jericho & Islandia, Long Island
• White Plains & Albany, NY
• Mechanicsburg, PA; Columbia, MD; Arlington, VA
• Ludlow & Newton, MA; Londonderry, NH

The end of the year bus departs campus on May 6; the deadline to book is April 8. The estimated round-trip fares are between $159.00 and $199.00. Sign up at My Bus Home for more information. 

Coronavirus Updates 
At RIT, we continue to closely monitor the outbreak of a novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China and has begun to spread to other countries. It is extremely important to note that no one affiliated with our RIT campus has developed the illness. Please visit this website for information and updates about the coronavirus and RIT.

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. In January, we asked on what topics regarding your student you personally contacted RIT. Most of you did not contact RIT; the top reasons for parent contact were billing or financial aid. Please take a moment to answer our February question.

Featured Photo
In case you don’t follow the Parent and Family Programs Facebook page, here’s what you’ve missed: students enjoyed the many activities of FreezeFest, including the mechanical reindeer!