Parent E-mail—September 11


—The Latest on H1N1
—Flu Clinic
—Financial Updates
—Career Planning
—Parents Weekend
—Move-In Experiences
—University Student Legal Services
—Parents' Role in Student Success
—Miscellaneous

It's been an amazing first week of school, and students are taking their studies seriously! Some are reading textbooks as they walk between classes, many are doing homework on the campus buses, and the entire Northrop Mall has served as an outdoor study hall every afternoon this week. It helps that wireless Internet connects them to their e-mail and Facebook pages all across campus, so they can keep up-to-date on their social networking. With tomorrow's first game in the new on-campus stadium, you may see a lot of activity via the Walter Library webcam throughout the weekend.

—The Latest on H1N1
There is a small but increasing number of cases of "influenza-like illness" on campus, and the expectation is that the flu will spread over the next few weeks. Students have received multiple messages about symptoms and suggested care. Yesterday, students living in residence halls and on-campus apartments received a message from Housing & Residential Life with recommendations for what to do if they or their roommates are ill. That message is posted online.

A number of parents have asked how faculty will address student absences and missed assignments in case of flu. The University has been in touch with faculty about the anticipated effects of H1N1, and instructors are asked to be flexible and to consider ways to deliver coursework online or through other methods. The faculty message is at www.umn.edu/prepared/ahc_prepared/flu/faculty.html. Faculty also have been asked to plan for their own potential absence. An important point for students to keep in mind is that they are responsible for the work assigned during the semester, and in most courses, it is necessary to gain the knowledge and skills from one assignment as preparation for the next assignment, or to be ready for the next course in a series. They should notify their instructor if they are sick, in order to make arrangements for fulfilling course requirements.

You can keep up to date on H1N1 messages on the University's Website: www.umn.edu/prepared/ahc_prepared/flu/swine.html.

While the H1N1 flu is quite contagious, so far students who get sick seem to be experiencing mild symptoms. Encourage your student to rest and eat well and, of course, practice the handwashing and basic hygiene steps we've all been hearing about.

—Flu Clinic
Although H1N1 flu vaccine will not be available for several weeks, students can receive regular seasonal flu vaccinations from Boynton Health Service starting September 16. The vaccinations are offered to students at no charge, and the schedule for flu shot clinics is posted at www.bhs.umn.edu/services/fluclinics/ (scroll down the page for date, time, and place of clinics). No appointments are needed. When H1N1 vaccination becomes available, Boynton will notify students and schedule another round of flu clinics.

—Financial Update
The first billing statement for the semester will be posted Saturday, September 12, and e-mails will be sent to students notifying them of their bill. Your student can forward the bill to you or authorize you to see and pay the bill. The first payment is due October 7. For details on billing and payments, see http://onestop.umn.edu/finances/pay.

—Career Planning
Even for first-year students, it is not too soon to work on career planning and development. Each college within the University provides access to career advising, career development workshops, and skill-building programs. For a sample of upcoming events, see the College of Liberal Arts' Web page.

That site lists job fairs, workshops, and information sessions within the College of Liberal Arts, as well as links to job fairs for other colleges. Students considering graduate school can attend a workshop on how to begin thinking about graduate school, and they should plan to attend the October 14 Graduate and Professional School Day program. For college-specific career information, see the links at www.career.umn.edu/.

—Parents Weekend
The registration deadline is quickly approaching for Parents Weekend. Registrations must be received by September 19. Details and online registration are available through the following Web site. Please note: At this point, the Friday afternoon Andersen Library tour has filled, and we cannot accept any additional participants for that event.

For those who have already ordered Parents Weekend Packages, the materials are being assembled and mailed out this week and next.

—Move-In Experiences
Now that this year's move-in is history, we'd like your feedback. Lisa Schulte from Housing & Residential Life would like to hear from parents of first-year students, as well as from families whose upperclassmen moved into residence halls or on-campus apartments over the weekend. Please let her know about your experience by sending an e-mail to schul143@umn.edu.

If your student moved into an off-campus house or apartment, we'd also like parents' feedback on their student's move. Although the University has very limited control of issues related to off-campus housing, it is helpful to know your reactions and experiences. Kendre Turonie, the Student-Community Relations liaison, works with landlords and neighborhoods in the campus area, and she would be happy to receive your comments at turon001@umn.edu.

—University Student Legal Services
Each year, some parents are unpleasantly surprised by the off-campus house or apartment their student has moved into. While most campus-area landlords are responsible and caring, there are some housing units that are questionable. Students who pay the University's Student Services Fees have access to assistance from the University Student Legal Services office, which has qualified attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants. For information on Student Legal Services, see www.umn.edu/usls/.

—Welcome Week Feedback
Parents of first-year students: The University is collecting considerable feedback from students on their Welcome Week experience, but some parent input is also helpful. Do you feel like your student had a good start to the year? What did they mention as especially fun or enlightening? Did their enthusiasm for the University grow or decline over the week? Were there any particular concerns, issues, or problems that came up for your student? Any other comments about Welcome Week? Please send your responses to parent@umn.edu.

—Parents' Role in Student Success
When students go to college, they begin a transition that affects not only themselves, but also their families. As the student-parent relationship adjusts, it can sometimes be challenging for the student, the parent, and the university to understand and communicate about the changing roles they each face. As a way to guide the conversation about appropriate and successful family involvement during the college years, the University of Minnesota has developed a set of Desired Outcomes for Parent Involvement.

Over the next two months, we will include information about these outcomes in parent e-mails. The basis of the outcomes is that we believe families make an important contribution to student success by understanding the student experience, supporting student learning, and empowering students to take personal responsibility for their social and academic choices. The outcomes can be found at www.parent.umn.edu/about.html.

—Miscellaneous
The University Parent Web site is updated frequently with information to help parents support their students. Each month we post Timely Issues with tips on the concerns most likely to crop up at different times of the year. The Fall Update provides information on the campus calendar, links to billing dates, safety information, and off-campus housing resources.

We also post a Parent Question of the Month on the Web site. Last month's question asked whether parents expect their student to go to graduate or professional school after earning a bachelor's degree. Seventy percent of respondents said they expect their student to go to graduate/professional school either right after earning their undergrad degree or within a year or two. For the full results, see www.parent.umn.edu/previous.html.

Please respond to this month's Parent Question at www.parent.umn.edu.

Sincerely,
Marjorie Savage
Parent Program Director
University of Minnesota
www.parent.umn.edu