ParentNet

Getting ready to move your son or daughter to college can be a difficult transition to make regardless of how happy you are for them. Michigan Tech tries to provide a great experience not only for the students, but for the first-year parents as well. This helps make the journey a little easier and a lot more fun. The following paragraphs will have information that will be useful for you, the parents to know and what you can expect to happen during Orientation Week.

Orientation Week will take place from Sunday, August 23 and end on Saturday August 29, 2009 for the students. First-year students are allowed to move as early as Saturday, August 22 and have an opportunity to settle in before all the major events take place. This year’s theme for Orientation is called “Amplify Your Success”, a music-based theme that many students can relate to.

For a couple of days during the beginning part of First-Year Student Orientation, there will be events that are set in place so that parents and families can have an opportunity to as questions and become informed about different aspects of Michigan Tech. New Student Check-in, where students receive their room keys, packet of Orientation materials, etc. to help get them through the week, begins at 9am and lasts until 7pm picking up again Sunday morning. New students are required to check-in first at the Rozsa Center before heading on to the residence hall to move in. Within the packet should also be all the information for Parent/Family Orientation. In addition to receiving a packet of information you and your student can find information from student service representatives from Financial Aid, Cashier’s Office, Housing, Residence Life, and COMPASS. Move-in begins Saturday August 22 at 9am. Just the same as previous years, there will be lots of students and staff volunteers from the university ready to assist you and your students with move-in. I remember how easy my experience was 4 years ago; it took less than 15 minutes to get all my belongings into my room. Overall move-in is a breeze and with it not taking lots of time, you can continue on your way to the next event. Saturday events also include campus tours and Parents & Family Summer Reading Discussion. Campus Tours last from 4:00pm until 5:30pm and give students and families a chance to see most of the buildings on campus to help familiarize everyone with campus. More information about the Summer Reading Discussion for Parents & Family can be found below where I go into details about what the summer reading is.

Sunday, August 23 continues new student check-in at 9am and by 4pm most students should be checked-in and ready to go for Orientation week. The Residence Halls will continue to be open for move-in from 9am to 10pm. Then comes the big Orientation events, and for families and parents it begins with a Welcome and Opening Session at 10am until noon. For the remainder of the day there will be campus tours (11am-12:30pm and 3pm-5pm), 45 minute Information Sessions (three separate sessions with a 15 minute break in between) starting at 1pm and lasting until 3:45. Some of the session topics include Resources of Michigan Tech, Student Panel (where students answer your questions with some of their experiences), and Parent Panel (parents of current Michigan Tech students answer your questions). More information about what sessions will be available can be found in the Orientation Packet your student receives when the check-in, so be on the look out for it.

The family picnic is also on Sunday from 4-6pm where both students and their families can enjoy great food. All first-year students and children 5 and under eat for free, and then we ask that parents and other family members purchase tickets in advance for $10/person. There’s two ways in which to purchase tickets: online via Parent Orientation website (scroll to bottom of page) or by calling the Rozsa Center Box Office at 906-487-3200. Tickets are offered for different times to help minimize the wait in line. These times start at 4pm and go every half an hour until 5:30pm (4:00-4:30-5:00-5:30). To end Sunday’s events, there will be a University Welcome at 6:30pm until 7:30pm in the Rozsa Center with an introduction by President Mroz.

Finally, events on Monday that parents and families are welcome to join in on are the Academic Department Introductions and the University Expo: Resources and Information. The Academic Department Intros begin at 10am and give students and parents the chance to meet with some of the professors and learn about what to expect within the department. Once the University Expo raps up at 1:30pm Parent Orientation is officially over. Your students are going to be really busy for the rest of the week getting introduced to different aspects of Michigan Tech and meeting lots of new friends. Next week’s article will be dedicated to information your first-year students should know when it comes to Orientation Week.

Some other important things to keep in mind are: Sibling Orientation which is for the younger siblings of Michigan Tech’s first-year students. This is a chance for the siblings to have some fun while their elder brother or sister and parents go off to Orientation planned events. This event takes place on Sunday August 23 from 10am until 4pm, with check-in beginning at 9:30am. Michigan Tech staff and students will do fun exercises with hands-on projects and creative explorations. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged and can be done through the Sibling Orientation website or by calling the Rozsa Center Box Office at 906-487-3200. The cost is $25 which includes group participation, supplies, lunch and snacks. Also, in addition to registration, it is important to fill out the consent form which can be faxed in or submitted during Sibling Orientation check-in on Sunday.

The Summer Reading is required of all our first-year students to do before they reach campus, and in the past couple of years Michigan Tech has been also encouraging the parents to participate as well. This year’s summer reading is “Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands” by Susan Carol McCarthy. Students should have received a brochure about the reading. This historical novel is said to be a “powerful read filled with drama and unforgettable characters”. So as the parents, if you’re interested in joining the discussion group about this book be sure to pick up a copy today and enjoy reading. Students will also be having discussions during Orientation on this book as well, so if you have a first-year student be sure to promote the reading of the Summer Reading book. It could be a great experience to enjoy and discuss the book with them before coming to campus.

Other links that might come in handy include:

• Family Resources, a site with many different resources to help prepare parents and families for what to expect during their child’s college years
• Lodging Information, a list of local hotels and surrounding towns
• Camping Information for anyone looking to enjoy camping while in the local area.

If you have a specific question for the Orientation Staff you can contact them by email at orientation@mtu.edu. Again, next week’s article will provide information on what students need to know for orientation.