Newsletter February 2021

News and Deadlines

Intramurals Registration
There is still time for students to register for spring intramurals. There are both in-person and virtual offerings, plus several safety modifications and protocols in place to keep students safe. Students can learn more and register for a team at recreation.rit.edu. Registration closes on February 17.

Recharge Care Package
Help your student recharge during our campus-wide Recharge Day with a Recharge Care Package. Care packages are $40 and must be ordered by March 12. We also offer cakes, cookie cakes, cupcakes, and fruit baskets. Order online or call 1-800-473-0956. All items are prepared by RIT Dining.

Change of Major Open Forum
The Change of Major Open Forum is an opportunity for students to connect with an advisor from University Exploration on the processes and options to change their major. If appropriate, advisors will schedule follow-up meetings to further discuss options, or make a referral to another office depending on the student’s situation. Any undergraduate student considering a change of major is welcome. The event will be held Monday, March 15 from noon-2 p.m. Students can RSVP and join by following this link.

Orientation Leadership Positions
New Student Orientation is currently recruiting student leaders to serve as Orientation Supervisors, Program Assistants, and Orientation Leaders.

Applications for Orientation Supervisors and Program Assistants are currently open until Sunday, February 21. Both positions are extremely competitive student leadership opportunities at RIT and provide an opportunity to play a key role in welcoming new students and their families into the Tiger family during RIT Orientation 2021. Interested students can attend information sessions on Tuesday, February 16 or Thursday, February 18.

Applications for the Orientation Leader positions will be open in early March.

If your student is interested in welcoming new students and their families and has a desire to impact RIT in a positive way, have them check out these student leadership positions on CampusGroups.

Imagine RIT Save-the-Date
After being canceled last year, Imagine RIT 2021 will be held virtually on May 1. Imagine RIT is a campus-wide event that showcases the creative and innovative spirit of RIT students, faculty, and staff. This year, videos of exhibits will be uploaded to the Imagine RIT website for viewing. Read more about a virtual Imagine RIT in this news story.

RIT Ready Updates

Spring Testing Off to a Strong Start
The early weeks of RIT’s mandatory COVID-19 testing program have shown high compliance rates and commitment among students. Nearly 10,000 students were tested during the second week of the semester and we had a 95% compliance rate. The tests have revealed a positivity rate of less than 0.1%. You can find updates on the RIT Spring Dashboard and more information about spring testing in this article. As always, please remind your student to stay diligent and follow the “3Ws”—Wash your Hands. Wear your mask. Watch your Distance.

Student COVID-19 Testing and Compliance
A reminder that RIT has expanded the COVID-19 testing program for the spring semester. The weekly testing program runs Sunday through Saturday. Students selected to participate in testing will receive an email on Sunday. Testing appointments are available Monday through Saturday. Your student will be expected to participate in frequent Tiger Testing, so please remind your student to watch their email and schedule an appointment every time they are selected.

Take Time to Recharge
Keeping the health and safety of the RIT community at the forefront, three recharge days have been incorporated into the academic calendar to provide breaks throughout the semester. If students are looking for something to do on their days off, we’ve got them covered. With a wide variety of in-person and virtual activities running all day long, students are sure to find a way to de-stress that is right for them. Students can view and register for activities here.

Campus Safety Updates
RIT has made some updates to our safety plan including specific mask requirements, increased testing, and discontinuation of location code check-ins. For more information, check out this article.

Reimagining Ritter Arena
Ritter Arena has been transitioned to a student center to provide a safe place for students to study, eat, and relax. The space includes plants, lighting, and furniture to create a comfortable environment and video games, pinball machines, and cornhole boards for entertainment. In the warmer weather, the Ritter space will extend to outdoor dining and lounge areas.

Information and Updates

Counseling and Student Support
The pandemic has caused many new stressors for students, who may be facing new and unexpected challenges. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) offers a variety of programs to fit students’ needs, including short-term, solution-focused individual therapy and group counseling opportunities that cover a variety of topics from how to cope with overwhelming emotions and anxiety, family relations, to healing from grief. Students can find the full listing of drop-in opportunities and wellness workshops in CampusGroups.

How to Talk to Your Student About Wellness
It can be difficult to start conversations about mental health and wellness with your student, but having these discussions can help you understand how your student is doing and open the opportunity to provide support. While talking with your student, be sure to listen, keep an open mind, and review some campus resources (such as those above) to share if appropriate. Here are some conversation starters in a variety of areas that can open the discussion:

General wellness

• What are the biggest stressors in your life right now? How are you managing these?
• What are you doing to take care of yourself?
• How are you balancing school and your social life?
• How much sleep have you been getting?
• What are you doing to stay active?

Engagement

• How are you connecting with your friends (virtually and in person)?
• What student group/organization meetings have you attended?
• Have you been to the Local Chill in Ritter Arena?
• Have you signed up for any of the activities offered on your recharge days?

Academic support

• What are your biggest challenges with your classes?
• What has worked well in the past that you can apply to your online classes?
• What are your professors’ office hours? Have you popped in?
• Have you connected with your advisor this semester? How about your career services counselor?
• What are you doing during study breaks?

Positive thinking

• What is the best thing that happened this week?
• What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned in a class recently?
• What have you been doing to enjoy Rochester’s snowy weather?
• What are you most looking forward to as the weather gets better?

Writing Commons
The Writing Commons supports students through individualized and group feedback and guidance on academic and professional writing at any stage of the writing process. All appointments are currently virtual, utilizing video, chat, and document sharing. Students can learn more and schedule an appointment on the Writing Commons website.

FAFSA Reminder 
The new FAFSA becomes available each October 1. This is an annual process that gets easier as information is pre-populated in the renewal application. While assisting your student with the application, we recommend transferring your 2019 federal tax return information to the FAFSA via IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to streamline the process. Visit the Federal Student Aid or RIT’s Financial Aid and Scholarships website for additional information. RIT students will receive financial aid award notifications beginning in May. 

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 what you are most concerned about regarding your student’s religious/spiritual life. Most of you were not worried about anything; a few were worried about your student losing touch with their community. 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: winter has come to campus!