Parent and Family Programs

By Brianna Rao & Stephen Pastis

The O ce of Parent and Family Programs can help families of USC students nd all the information they need to help and stay connected throughout their student’s time in college.

The easiest way to connect with all the resources the O ce of Parent and Family Programs has to o er is to download the o ce’s mobile app. Simply search “University of South Carolina Parents” in the app store or head to the o ce’s website at sc.edu/parents to text the link to a mobile device.

Within the app, users have access to information on academic calendars, move-in procedures, nancial aid and tuition payment, campus safety and security, maps and options to contact the o ce for more individual help.

The app is also the main gateway for all things Family Weekend, a signature event that takes place over an entire weekend during the fall semester. For the event students invite family members and parents to see campus and experience what it’s like to call Carolina home. In addition to reuniting with their students, families have a chance to connect with others who also have loved ones attending the university.

“Campus will be lively,” Leena Holt, director of parent and family programs, said. “There’s a real opportunity to build a community, and by coming to Family Weekend, we create the atmosphere and the space for it to happen.”

Though the weekend can be particularly meaningful to rstyear students and their families a er the rst few months of being on their own, upperclassmen also participate with some families attending the weekend every year their student is at USC.

“Family weekend is not just the rstyear experience,” Holt said. “I hope that folks recognize that they can come all four years if they want to. It’s just a place to have that Carolina tradition and be a part of that pride that we have at Carolina, especially around the football game.”

Parent and Family Programs hosts a tailgate party for attendees during Family Weekend, providing food, fun and family time before fans ll the stadium to cheer on the Gamecocks. This year’s Family Weekend will coincide with the football game versus the Kentucky Wildcats on Sept. 25.

Information on the Parent and Family Programs app includes event dates (Sept. 24-25), a registration link with package options, the calendar for scheduled events such as the tailgate party and Rock the Roost event and football ticket and gameday information. Registration closes Sept. 6.

Parents can join the dues-free Parents Association either through the app or through subscribing on the o ce’s website to receive monthly communications with updates on student life and campus news. In between newsletters, parents with speci c questions or needs can always contact the O ce of Parent and Family Programs through email at scparents@sc.edu or by phone at 800-868-6752 for individualized support.

Parents who would like to support USC and its initiatives can also contribute via the Parents Annual Fund, which currently supports the university’s Dinner Dialogues program.

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Dinner Dialogues allows students to meet with their professors and get to know them in an informal and fun setting: dinner at the professor’s home. Students can learn more about their professors and other students in their class, allowing for more relationship-building and networking that could pay o down the line.

“We know that at a large university like ours, it is important to create opportunities for building and sustaining relationships,” Anna Edwards, associate vice president for Student Life, said. “The Dinner Dialogues program provides an opportunity for students to get to know their faculty members in a di erent way and build relationships and community.”

Since 2006, the Parents Annual Fund has supported over 1,100 Dinner Dialogues meals. Parents can donate to the fund online and nd additional information on resources and programs that will support them, on the Parent and Family Programs website at sc.edu/ parents.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY DEPARTMENT OF STUDENT LIFE