Family Orientation Newsletter July 29, 2025

In This Message

Move-In and Orientation
- What to Expect at Move-In and Orientation Webinars
- Move-In Instructions
- Welcome Days Highlights
- RIT Housing and Residence Life
Reminders and Review
- Packing Lists
- Student Class Schedules
- Parent Access to Student Accounts
- Fall Billing and Payment Options
Let's Talk About It

Move-In and Orientation

What to Expect at Move-In and Orientation Webinar
Join staff from Orientation, Parent and Family Programs, Residence Life, and RIT Housing for an overview of what to expect on Welcome Days. We will cover the move-in process, the Welcome Days schedule, and highlight key aspects of Orientation.

Move-In Instructions
If your student is living in RIT Housing, please make sure they confirm their appointment time in the myLife portal. It is essential to arrive on your selected day and time in order to alleviate congestion and provide the best move-in experience for all.

Move-in process for Residence Halls assigned students:

Enter RIT at the main entrance off of Jefferson Road onto Lomb Memorial Drive. Turn right onto Levi Ward Road. Turn left onto Willam and Mortimer Reynolds Drive and another left into H Lot.
Enter the lane based on your student's last name to pick up your student's room key and RIT ID. The great news–you can do the entire key pick up directly from your car.
Exit the lot and turn left onto Andrews Memorial Drive. Follow the colored balloons to your student's Residence Hall. You will enter a colored drop zone where you can park and unload your car to begin moving in.
After you unload your car, you will be directed to a parking lot near the Residence Halls.

Move-in process for RIT Inn assigned students:

Please go directly to the RIT Inn and pick up your student's key and RIT ID at the front desk.

All Move-In information, including maps, arrival instructions, and what to bring checklists are available on the Move-In website.

Welcome Days Highlights
Programming on Welcome Days is designed for students and families to enjoy together. While it is ideal to attend Welcome Day programming on the day your student moves in, you are welcome to attend either day to accommodate your schedule. If your student has a late move-in time, you can park and attend activities prior to moving in or attend on the opposite day. If your student will not be living in RIT Housing, you have the opportunity to attend on either Sunday, Aug. 17, or Monday, Aug. 18.

The purpose of Welcome Days is to introduce you to campus, provide opportunities to meet other new RIT families, and have time to settle your student in. Programming is very flexible to accommodate each family’s individual needs. Programming highlights include:

Resource Fair
Get your questions answered, meet with staff members, take care of business, and get information regarding the resources and services available at RIT and in the community. Don’t forget to grab your $10 family t-shirt!
Orientation Check-In
Students MUST check in for Orientation in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center on Welcome Days. Check-in will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.
Family Welcome Lounge
Pop in to say hi to staff, write a letter to your student, grab some Proud Parent swag, or just take a break from your busy day.
Family Welcome and Social
After a brief welcome from Senior Vice President for Student Affairs, Sandra Johnson, and the Parent and Family Programs Director, Chelsea Petree, you can grab a snack, relax, and meet fellow new Tiger Parents.

You can find the Welcome Days schedule on the Orientation website.

RIT Housing and Residence Life
As most of you prepare your student to move into the residence halls or RIT Inn, you have likely heard of RIT's two offices related to on-campus living: RIT Housing and Residence Life. While these departments work closely together, they have separate areas of focus:

RIT Housing handles housing assignments and roommate selection. The team also assists with incidents like key losses, lockouts, and billing questions.
The Center for Residence Life is made up of professional staff and student Resident Advisors (RAs) who build a vibrant, safe, and inclusive community. Your student will work closely with their RA, who will host activities, help students navigate roommate conflicts, and connect students with the broader RIT community. Your student will meet their RA during Orientation.
Maintenance requests are handled through RIT Housing (issues with furniture or laundry machines) and Facilities Management Services (common areas such as bathrooms and elevators). Remind your student to request maintenance as soon as they see something wrong in their room or a common space.

You will see staff from RIT Housing and Residence Life on Welcome Days handing out keys, helping carry belongings to your student's room, and welcoming your family to the RIT community.

Reminders and Review

Packing Lists
What to bring checklists are available as you help your student prepare for life at RIT:

What to Bring: Residence Halls

What to Bring: RIT Inn

Be sure they pack required forms of identification—students are required to provide a photo ID to obtain a bank account, University ID Card, and Employment Eligibility Card. Consider packing a light first aid kit in case your student gets sick. Please refer to the suggestions on the Student Health Center website, and don't forget your student's health insurance card!

While it’s good to prepare early, don’t panic if you don’t have everything your student needs right away! There is a lot of retail just down the road from RIT for last-minute shopping.

For a student's insights on what to pack, watch the What should my student bring for their first year? Series of Queries video.

Student Class Schedules
Academic departments are currently registering all incoming students for fall term classes. Students will be able to access their preliminary schedules by early August by logging into the Student Information System (SIS). Schedules will be adjusted as official Advanced Placement (AP) scores, official college transcripts, and RIT placement test scores are received.

If your student has a question about their schedule, encourage them to meet with their primary academic advisor during College Connections at Orientation. On that day, students will learn more about their general education and program requirements, as well as how their schedule has been built to fulfill those requirements.

Parent Access to Student Accounts
You may be accustomed to managing accounts for your student, but college is the perfect time to support them with reminders and tips, rather than directly accessing their account yourself. There are certain parts of their account, however, that you may need to access. 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.

Fall Billing and Payment Options
All billing notifications are sent electronically to students at their RIT email address. To receive this notification, your student must grant you parent access to their eServices account. The fall 2025 billing statement was generated in the first week of July. Please visit the Student Financial Services website for more information about billing, due dates, and an optional payment plan.

To learn more about your student's bill, watch the What are all of the charges on my student's bill? Series of Queries video.

Let's Talk About It

What are you most excited about for the upcoming year?

There is so much to look forward to! Help pump your student up for the exciting year ahead.

What are you nervous about?

It’s also important to recognize that there may be nerves, and this is completely normal!

Sincerely,

Chelsea Petree, Ph.D.
Director, Parent and Family Programs
Rochester Institute of Technology
parents@rit.edu