Newsletter Orientation Newsletter Dec 2020

Preparing Your Student

Spring Circulation Plan and Checklist
As we prepare for a safe and healthy re-population of campus in the spring, there are a few items that all students must complete. All students are required to complete the Spring Circulation Plan on the MyLife Portal (mylife.rit.edu), no matter their spring semester plans. This includes students who plan to be on co-op or are completing online coursework. By completing the Spring Circulation Plan, students are notifying RIT of their intended plans for the Spring 2021 Semester. Responses to the Spring Circulation Plan will determine the required action steps that students must complete before the start of the semester. 

Students will be assigned an RIT contact to support them through the process. The assigned staff member will be listed on the home screen of their MyLife Portal. Students are encouraged to reach out to this individual should they have any questions about the Spring Circulation Plan and associated requirements.

Learn more about the Spring Circulation Plan and detailed requirements at rit.edu/ready/spring-planning.

Spring Move-In Information
Move-in dates and information are available on the RIT Housing website. Please review carefully as the date your student will move in will depend on whether or not they will have to quarantine upon arrival in New York and if they choose University Coordinated Quarantine or independent quarantine.

• Incoming students who choose University Coordinated Quarantine will move in on January 13, 2021
• Incoming students who choose independent quarantine will move in on January 18, 2021 (independent quarantine must be completed by this time)
• Incoming students who do not need to quarantine will move in on January 18, 2021

Information about key pickup and housing assignments is available on the RIT Housing website.

Please be sure to review the New York State COVID-19 Travel Guidelines and note guidelines are subject to change.

University Coordinated Quarantine
Students with an RIT housing assignment that are required to quarantine before circulating on campus in accordance with RIT and New York State COVID-19 Travel Guidelines may choose to quarantine on their own independently or participate in University Coordinated Quarantine.

The cost of University Coordinated Quarantine is $115 per night and includes:

• a private room
• 3 meals each day delivered to the student's room
• a COVID-19 test on the 4th day of stay

RIT’s arrangement with the local hotels are date specific. Neither early nor late arrivals will be permitted. As noted above, incoming new students need to check-in on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. 

Students must apply for this option by January 3, 2021. Visit this website for details.

Immunizations and Health History
Your student’s health needs are supported through our Student Health Center, which provides primary care and urgent care services to RIT students. All students with 6 credits or more who will be on the RIT campus for the first time must complete the five required health documents located on the Wellness Portal (wellnessportal.rit.edu). This includes their immunization record, health history, tuberculosis screening, treatment authorization, and insurance plan. Learn more about immunization requirements.

Flu Vaccine Requirement
RIT is requiring all students, faculty, and staff who will be on campus for any reason receive a seasonal flu vaccination by the start of Spring Semester. Students must provide proof of having received the seasonal flu vaccine by submitting documentation to the Wellness Portal. Proof should include name, date, and documentation that it was a flu vaccine. Students with a medical or religious accommodation will be receiving a secure message through the health portal that we have a file of record.

University ID Cards
All students are required to have a RIT University ID Card which provides access to residence halls, labs, libraries, meals, campus events, and more. Students can speed up the process by submitting their ID photo now and should email registrar@rit.edu in January to set up a time to pick up their card starting the week of January 18.

Spring Orientation
Spring Orientation for students will be on January 20-24. There will be no family orientation programming this year, but please read below for information about parent and family resources. Orientation provides opportunities for students to meet other incoming students, learn about social organizations on campus, and explore campus resources. Please remind your student to register for orientation by January 13.

Family Resources

Parent & Family Programs
The Parent & Family Programs office is here to support parents and help you support your students by helping you understand RIT resources and the student experience. The following resources are particularly helpful:

• RIT Parent Newsletter—Our monthly newsletter delivers the most current information to parents, including upcoming deadlines, campus events, and information about campus resources. Your email address will be added automatically. You can unsubscribe or change you email preferences on the above link.
• Parent & Family Programs website—Find campus resources and information about how to support your student across a variety of topics including academics, health, and student life.
• RIT Parent Facebook page—Our Facebook page is designed to connect families to RIT through photos of campus and students, information about what's happening at RIT, and interactions between parents. 

Family Orientation Video Series
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Spring Orientation will be for incoming students only. To learn more about RIT resources, please refer our 2020 Family Orientation video series created last summer to introduce new RIT parents to campus resources. Most of the information is relevant to you and your students as well. Topics include: 

• Health & Wellness
• Disability Services
• Academic Support
• Safety on Campus
• Money Matters
• Living on Campus
• Deaf Culture and Access Services
• COVID planning

RIT Ready Website and Dashboard
The RIT Ready website is RIT’s central repository of news and information related to COVID-19. On this site, you can find information on health and safety, communications to the community, and the COVID-19 dashboard. The dashboard is updated each day (Monday-Friday) and includes the RIT COVID level, new positive cases from the past 14 days, total positive cases from the first day of the academic year, number of students in quarantine and isolation, and a link to regional factors.

Parent Access to Student Accounts 
Students can authorize up to three people to have guest access to their eServices account, which includes billing notifications. Through guest access, you will be able to log into eServices using your own RIT username and password to view the information to which your student granted you access. Your student can start the process on the eServices website. 

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

Family and Emergency Contact Information
Please have your student review and update their parent contact information and emergency contact information at www.rit.edu/studentcontact.

2021 Academic Calendar
The 2020-2021 Academic Calendar includes all important dates, including breaks. Remember that, along with the academic calendar, your student should refer to their course syllabi for important dates.