Newsletter FOSN June 16, 2020

Prepare Your Student

Accelerated Fall Calendar
Last week, RIT announced an accelerated fall calendar with classes beginning on August 19. In-person classwork will conclude on November 24 and finals will be held via remote modalities (e.g. online).

Proposed Schedule for Fall Move-In
With the change of the academic calendar for the fall, we know you are all anxious to learn about move-in dates. There are many more details to work out, but we want to share our current plan for bringing students back to campus to help you plan accordingly:

• August 12-15: Move-in for new students
• August 16-18: New First Year, Transfer, and Graduate Student Orientation
• August 15-18: Move-in for returning students

RIT will be communicating directly with your student to their RIT email account regarding actions they need to take to select when they will be moving in, along with a timeslot that will ensure we are maintaining physical distancing procedures and proper safety precautions.

The proposed schedule is contingent on guidance that we are awaiting from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo relative to the reopening of college campuses in the fall, as well as the direction of local and state health officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Once we have the official guidance from New York State, we will be finalizing our full reopening plan for review and approval as needed.

Please continue to stay tuned for updates and information about move in.

Welcome Guide
If you haven’t already, you will soon receive the 2020 Welcome Guide in the mail. This guide will help guide your student throughout the summer and includes:

• A timeline of action items your student is required to complete from June until the start of fall semester
• Resources and information to access over the summer 
• Information on how family members can connect to RIT 

A digital version can be found on the Orientation website.

Immunizations
New York State law mandates that all college students provide proof of vaccinations. If you haven’t already, make sure your student is up to date on immunizations and submit completed forms to the Student Health Center prior to arrival in August. Forms and information can be found on the Student Health Center website.

Today's Parent Tips

Parent Access to Student Accounts
You may be used to managing your student’s accounts, but college is the perfect time to support your student with reminders and tips rather than you having direct access. There are certain parts of their account, however, that you may need access to. Students can authorize parent access to aspects of their accounts, including the bill, through eServices. Through third-party access, you will be able to log in to eServices using your own RIT username and password to view the information to which your student granted you access.

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

Send Us Your Questions
In preparation for move-in to look differently than most years, we will be moving the majority of Family Orientation programming to an online format. We need your help! Please send us the questions that you have about your student’s upcoming RIT experience. This can include:

• Living and dining on campus
• Health and wellness
• Academic support
• Finances
• Student involvement
• Campus safety
• Disability and access services

You can submit your questions on this form.

Surviving the Summer
Even without the abnormal experiences of the last few months, students often act differently the summer before beginning college. After graduating from high school, students feel grown up and ready to move on from their childhood environment. They may seem to have little time and patience for family and feel too grown up for old routines and house rules.

Your student may also be seeking freedom—not only is this a reflection of feelings of isolation from the last several months, but they also have friends and high school classmates they will want to say goodbye to before moving to RIT. Communicate openly about safety concerns, expectations about family time, and ideas about how students can say goodbye to this stage of their life.

Tips for surviving this summer:

• Be clear about your expectations around family time
• Give your student some extra freedom and space
• Start shopping and planning for the big move early, so it is less stressful for your family later in the summer
• Expect a range of emotions throughout the summer…from everyone!

Advice from a current RIT parent:
“Make sure your student takes the reins of their college experience from the beginning. The more you do for them the less prepared they are to be an RIT Tiger. Indeed, monitor their progress, ask questions, become a partner, but make sure they take care of business.”

Ask Your Student About...

How do you anticipate talking to me about your grades?
You will no longer have access to your student’s grades as you did in high school. It can be helpful to have an open discussion about your expectations around grade sharing prior to their arrival on campus.

What are some things you really want to do this summer before moving to RIT?
Activities might be limited depending on where you live and what is open, but have a discussion about your student’s “must dos” before heading to college!