Helpful Hints for Parents

Here are some helpful hints to keep in mind as your student transitions to UNC Charlotte

AUGUST

Life as a first year student at UNC Charlotte has a unique rhythm that students, as well as parents will have to adjust to. Family members should be familiar with the following events and opportunities to support and understand their students throughout their first year at UNC Charlotte.

Move-in Day, Saying Goodbye

The big day finally arrives when parents and family members bring their students to college.  The day is filled with emotion as goodbyes are said and students realize they are truly beginning a new chapter of their lives, one that will be lived and experienced outside their family’s home.  Some parents and family member may be relieved to finally deliver their student to college, while other cannot imagine life at home without your student, nor can you imagine how your student is going to manage without daily help.

Proper planning and realistic expectation can help alleviate some of these concerns.  If your student is living on campus:

Campus residence halls open on Friday August 19th. Students will be able to begin moving in at 9 a.m. Rooms will be held until Sunday August 21st at 5 p.m. If your student cannot check in by 5 p.m., please contact Housing and Residence Life Assignment Office at 704-687-7501 for an extension on this deadline, or their housing assignment will be cancelled (financial charges apply). When students arrive, they should report directly to their check-in location for their housing assignment.

For more information visit Housing and Residence Life

Week of Welcome!

Week of Welcome (WOW) is a week of activities designed to introduce, or in many cases reacquaint your student to life at UNC Charlotte. Beginning on Friday August 19th through Sunday August 28th Week of Welcome is your students opportunity to interact with their peers, faculty, and staff and show their NINER NATION PRIDE! WOW offers students a unified set of events aimed at setting students up for academic success as well as socializing and interactive events. It also allows students to re-connect with friends from SOAR and meet new friends; all while being exposed to the great resources and programs UNC Charlotte has to offer. 

There are events at WOW for all students! Some of the past events varied from a Part Time Job Fair and leadership programs, to an outdoor movie and a comedy show! And each year the staff strives to out-do last year’s events and live up to the tradition of great activities. Events take place across campus from the recreation fields to the new Student Union. The Week of Welcome is coordinated by New Student Services in the Dean of Students Office.

SEPTEMBER

Niner Nation Family Weekend

Sept 23rd-25th

UNC Charlotte would like to invite you to the Niner Nation Family Weekend! Parents and family members, this is your opportunity to come visit your student for the weekend and take part in all the festivities that the UNC Charlotte campus and community will have to offer.

Some of the activities include:

• A chance to interact with the student body of UNC Charlotte
• Meet Chancellor Dubois, faculty and administrators within your students college of study
• Door prizes
• Tours of the campus
• So much more!

Visit Parents and Family Weekend for registration and more information

Getting Involved:

The University of North Carolina Charlotte offers students countless way to get involved around campus and in the community. Visit are web site for more information about campus life, and encourage your student to visit the Dean of Students Office or the Student Union, which serves as the headquarters for student activities, your connection to 300+ student organizations.

OCTOBER

Academic Advising

Academic advising is a critical component of your student’s education experience. Advising includes helping students understand the purpose of the curriculum, as well as fostering the students’ intellectual and personal development toward academic persistence and success. Your student’s academic advisor may be a faculty member in his or her major, or a full-time staff advisor. 

Urge your student to contact their advisor more frequently when receiving an unsatisfactory grade report, when disciplinary action is pending, or if they are experiencing difficulties that are interfering with your academic progress.

For more information, visit Academic Advising

NOVEMBER

Campus Safety

UNC Charlotte strives to promote and consistently increase the safety of students on campus.  The university is located in an urban setting which provides wonderful resources for students.  However, Charlotte is no different than any other city when it comes to the risks associated with safety.  It is important for students to remain alert and aware of their surrounding when walking, working, or living in and around campus.  The university offers students a wide range of resources and programming designed to increase the awareness of personal safety.  These resources include, but are not limited to, the Blue Emergency Boxes, SafeRide, and self-defense classes.

Campus walkways, parking lots and building doorways are well-lit and patrolled by the UNC Charlotte Police Department. Our police officers are certified by the State of North Carolina and have attended an extensive police-training program. They all have full police powers on campus, and are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in cars, on bicycles and on foot at various times. At least four police officers are always scheduled for patrol. All of our Officers are certified through in-service training on CPR/First-Aid and AED and the campus Police Department recently purchased 10 new Defibrillators to place in several patrol vehicles.

The UNC Charlotte Police can be reached from any of approximately 300 campus emergency phones, and at least four police officers are always on patrol. 

For more information, visit UNC Charlotte Police Department

DECEMBER

Things to Remember when they come back from Winter Break

First semester freshmen and transfer students may seem too “cool” (or so they think) and have a tendency to resent interference with their newfound lifestyle, but most still desire the security of knowing that someone is interested in them. Parental and family member curiosity can be obnoxious and alienation or relief-giving and supporting, depending of the attitudes of the persons involved. “I-have-a-right-to-know” tinged questions with ulterior motives should be avoided. However, honest inquiries, other “between friends” communication and discussion will go a long way to further the parent/family member-student relationship.

What can parents and families do?

Keep the lines of communication open between family members. Be sure to be engaged in your students’ lives and aware of what they are involved in, but not too much. Remember that they are in a new place in their life now and are in the process of discovering who they are, as well as trying to find their place in this world. Be there for your student. The next couple of years will be easier if your students know they can count on their family when times are rough.

JANUARY

Tutoring Options

UNC Charlotte offers students many options for tutoring and academic assistance in select courses, free of charge. First and foremost, students often underestimate the assistance they can receive by simply contacting their professor for help in a course. Professors are available during office hours and often by appointment to assist students. The Writing Resource Center (WRC) provides one-to-one writing instruction to students, from first-year to graduate in any discipline.

The academic services department offers access to the Center for Academic Excellence, the Career Center, Disability Services, and Multicultural Academic Services. Your student will be beginning a new set of classes so it’s important to talk with them to determine if they foresee a course as challenging. Encourage them to seek assistance sooner rather than later!

For more information on the above mentioned services, visit:
Academic Services as well as: Writing Resource Center

FEBRUARY

Family Day 2012

The office of Parent and Family Services invites parents and family members back to UNC Charlotte for Family Day and Homecoming. Parents and family members will have opportunities to interact with their student all day.

Some of the highlights of the program include:

• Homecoming parade
• Tailgating
• Rooting for the 49ers basketball team
• So much more!

Visit Parent and Family Services for registration and information regarding this event.

MARCH

Keeping Students Healthy

As the spring semester gets into full swing, it’s important for you student to keep their personal health in mind.  UNC Charlotte has many resources available to students to keep them healthy throughout the year.  The Student Health Center is located on the corner of Cameron Boulevard and Mary Alexander Road and provides primary medical care, disease prevention, health education, wellness promotion, and various specialty services to eligible UNC Charlotte students.

UNC Charlotte also has plenty of opportunities for students to be active including: sport clubs, intramurals, fitness programs, and special events. Students also have resources available such as the UNC Charlotte Counseling Center, which offers individual counseling to assist students with concerns of a personal nature by helping them develop better coping strategies, resolve conflicts and handle crisis situations. Typical concerns are depression, anxiety and stress, relationship issues, identity development, substance use problems, eating and body image issues.

For more information, visit
Student Health Center and
Counseling Center

APRIL

Preparing for Next Year

The end of the semester can bring mixed emotions as students finish final exams and face the summer.  Many students return home to live with family, enroll in summer school, or spend the summer working away from home. Student who return home often find themselves balancing their independence with readjusting to house rules. It’s important to talk with students about expectations and also to listen and be mindful of the independence that they have grown accustomed to over the past year.

MAY

Achievements

Whether your student has just finished his or her first year at UNCC or is taking summer classes, or has graduated, it’s important to reflect on the achievements and the milestones of the past year. How has your student developed? What does he or she find important now that didn’t matter a year ago? Each year brings challenges, opportunities, and changes. Discuss all of these with you student to ensure you’re supporting them in the best way possible.

Plan B: What’s Next?

In some situations students and parent/family members need to have a Plan B. If a student’s first year at UNC Charlotte results in earning low grades or failing classes, it is time for the parents/family members and their student to have honest discussions about whether the student is ready for serious academic study. Allow time for emotions to subside and then work together to develop a plan for the next term. Failing isn’t the end of the world (although it may seem like it is) but rather an opportunity to consider other options for college study, vocational education, or work experience.

If a student did enroll in college for the next term, it will be important for the parents and family members to discuss any repayment of student loans and the possible need for health and auto insurance. If a student wants to return to campus despite poor grades, it is reasonable to ask for a plan that will increase his or her chances for future academic success. In other words, parents and family members should ask, “What will you do differently next time?”

Closing Thoughts

Beginning college is an exciting time; a time filled with pride, anticipation, and pure joy when watching a beloved son or daughter take an important step toward adulthood. Parents and family members, you’ve done a good job, and we commend you for all the years of encouragement, discipline, energy, nagging, prodding, support, and love you have bestowed upon your student.

But the time has come, the moment you have worked, hoped, and maybe even prayed for is here: Your student is going to a college that meets all of their needs and will help them reach their goals! It is a time of change, and with any change, there will be moments of discomfort, bewilderment, perhaps even fear and anger, and certainly frustration for both you and your student. There also will be moments of laughter, pride, surprise, immense satisfaction as your student learns and grows and become and independent, responsible young adult. We hope you and your student enjoy this journey here at UNC Charlotte!