Newsletter FOSN August 18, 2020

Prepare Your Student

Dining During Orientation and Beyond
We recognize that there have been some questions about dining options and wait times during Orientation this week. We had to make many changes to our procedures in order to prioritize the heatlh and safety of our community, which have included a reduction of capacity in our dining locations. As students just are now coming back, we are learning a lot, including where we need to make adjustments. There were some long lines earlier this week during Orientation dinners—this was our fault as we didn't know exactly how things would play out. Orientation and Dining staff were able to quickly make changes that reduced the lines, including better spacing of dinner times for groups, extending hours of operations, and adding more food trucks throughout Orientation. From my observations, I'm happy to say it has gotten better each day!

With that being said, we are aware that there will be kinks in the plan, adjustments will need to be made, and there will likely be more lines than we typically experience in a non-COVID world. Please know that we are watching closely and pivoting as needed. Remember too that our students will learn quickly what works for their schedules. It always takes new students a couple weeks to learn how to best use our dining locations and their meal plan; we recognize that there are a few additional barriers this year but we are confident with a little patience on all of our parts, we will figure it out.

Please direct your student to the Dining website to learn about locations and hours as they learn what will fit into their class schedule this week.

Communicating with Your Student
As your student settles in over the next few weeks, let them take the lead in communication. Don’t worry—they will eventually text you! Feel free to check in but know they might not have time for a lengthy phone call every time you reach out.

As the semester progresses, expect your student’s mood about life at RIT to fluctuate. As a parent, you are often the first point of contact when something is wrong. Know that issues tend to resolve themselves with time and emotions will balance out—you often hear things at their worst.

Advice from a current RIT parent:
“Keep everything in perspective. You are not only as good as your most recent grade. Make thoughtful choices and decisions, but nothing is worth freaking out over.”

Virtual Tiger Activities Fair
There are many opportunities for students to engage in clubs and organizations during their time at RIT. The Virtual Tiger Activities Fair—held on August 22-23—is a great way for students to meet several clubs and organizations and learn where they can get involved with other students that have similar interests. Students can find information about how to participate in the fair by logging into CampusGroups with their RIT username and password, and search for “RIT.”

Care Packages
RIT Care Packages is an exclusive gift service provided by RIT Dining. Send your student warm thoughts with a care package, a delicious cake or a pizza break! Send a little love, whether it is to wish them a happy birthday, good luck, or just because. Care Packages must be ordered by date listed and may not be ordered outside of the timeframe listed.

Today's Parent Tips

RIT Parent Newsletters
I will soon be entering your email addresses into my RIT Parent Newsletter list. This newsletter goes out once a month and, like the ones you have been receiving from me this summer, contains information about campus news, events, and reminders for you and your student. You can unsubscribe or change your email preferences at any time on the Newsletter page.

Family Orientation Video Series
If you didn’t watch them this summer, please catch up on our Family Orientation video series to learn about campus resources. In particular, please watch the COVID Planning video to learn about safety protocols and what campus will look like this fall.  

Returning Home
For parents who dropped your student off on campus last week: everyone in your household will react differently to your student’s departure—one parent might be jumping for joy at making their bedroom an exercise space, while the other wants to keep everything the same. Expect different, and a range of, emotions. Give your younger children still at home a little extra attention—not only are they also going through a transition, but the last several months have been all about your RIT student. And about that empty bedroom—hold off on transitioning it…at least for a bit.

Supporting Your Virtual College Student
If your student will be taking classes from home this semester, things might not feel too differently at home. However, please remember that their college schedule will be new and they will still have to get into a routine. Virtual students will be balancing a range of course types—some classes may require students to log in and participate during a set time while other coursework can be completed on the student’s own schedule. Your student also may be seeking more independence despite living at home. Similar to the advice we give parents when students return home for breaks, it will be helpful to have open conversations with your student about household expectations and respecting one another’s schedules and space.

Visits Home and to Campus
If planning a trip home for your student prior to Thanksgiving, we ask that you keep a few things in mind:

• ​Travel should be restricted to trips that are absolutely necessary.
• There are no breaks scheduled this semester until Thanksgiving. Students will have classes on Labor Day and fall break is canceled.
• If your student plans to leave New York State, they will be required to quarantine for 14 days upon returning from a restricted state. Please note that this list updates weekly.
• The plan to reduce breaks and opportunity for travel during the semester is a safety measure put in place to protect our entire campus community. Limiting travel minimizes the possibility of exposure to those within our campus community as well as our community's families. 
• If travel is necessary, students should always check their schedules for exams and project due dates prior to leaving.
• If you plan to visit your student at RIT, please remember to adhere to the visitor policy, which includes completing the daily health screen, wearing a mask, and not entering RIT residence halls or apartments.

Campus Mailing Addresses
If you plan to mail anything to your student this year, here are the campus mailing addresses to use:

Residence halls:
Name

Building and Room #
5000 Nathaniel Rochester Hall
Rochester, NY 14623 

RIT Inn:
Name

5257 W Henrietta Rd
Henrietta, NY 14467

Mailing addresses for all campus locations can be found on the Mail and Care Package page of the RIT parent website. 

Parent & Family Programs
If you ever have questions or concerns about RIT or your student’s experience, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! Don’t forget to connect to our parent resources, including the Parent & Family Programs website and the RIT Parent Facebook page. You can also always send me a note at parents@rit.edu if you’d like to connect.

Ask Your Student About...

What was the best part of Orientation?
Get an idea of what they learned about campus and the new people they met in their Orientation groups.

Have you met your RA yet? What are they like?
Students should feel comfortable relying on their RAs for support throughout the semester.

Were the first few days of classes what you expected?
Try to ask open-ended questions about classes in order to get details from your student.

How will you spend your first free weekend on campus?
There will be activities throughout the semester for students to engage in. CAB (College Activities Board) promotes events through social media, email messaging, on video screens across campus, and on their Campus Groups page.