Family Connections Early Spring 2014

ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY

EARLY SPRING 2014

FAMILY Connections CONVERSATIONS TO HAVE WITH YOUR STUDENT It has been a cold and snowy start to the spring semester on campus. We hope to soon see the daffodils and early spring flowers appear. As we look forward to warmer days ahead, we’re also looking forward to the many exciting programs and events that are scheduled for the remaining weeks of this term. It’s hard to believe, but commencement is just around the corner for our seniors and their families.

Have you noticed the change? The new experiences, opportunities, and challenges of college can often strain and impact the relationship between students and their parents. In the following pages, Student Life staff members provide some guidance to you about areas such as career planning, technology, and student behavior/conduct to help you better navigate some of the topics.

This issue of Family Connections focuses on some of the conversations we encourage you as a parent to have with your student. It’s never too late to reinforce some important concepts that will help them be successful this semester and in the future.

Your relationship with your student is different now than it was when he/she was in high school.

We hope you are sharing and enjoying the RMU experience with your student and that you can continue to find ways to contribute to their personal and professional growth.

STUDENT LIFE

Family Connections is a publication designed for the parents and families of Robert Morris University students. It is compiled by the Office of Student Life and printed in cooperation with the Office of Public Relations and Marketing. Editions are printed in the fall, winter, and spring of each academic year. We are interested in your feedback about this publication. Email your comments and suggestions to studentlife@rmu.edu.

ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY FAMILY CONNECTIONS

RMU.EDU

GOOGLE ALLOWS FAMILIES TO COMMUNICATE EASILY ARMAND BUZZELLI Director of Campus Recreation

Did you know that RMU utilizes Google for all of its student, staff, and faculty email communication?

Google not only is a free email service available to the public, but it has several applications that make communication and information sharing easy for family and friends. Among the useful apps your son or daughter has access to in addition to their email are Google Calendar, Google+, Google Hangouts, and Google Voice. These apps make it easy for you to stay in touch.

GOOGLE PLUS Google’s social networking application allows users to connect through “circles” and share information easily.

GOOGLE HANGOUTS If your laptop comes with builtin cameras, it is easier than ever to video chat (for free) with Google’s video chat plug-in or Skype. For a comparison of features, see the Google Hangouts and Skype comparison table.

GOOGLE VOICE College students are always on the go, but with Google Voice, you can try reaching your favorite college student by calling just one number. The free Google Voice number can simultaneously ring to a home phone, work phone, and a cell phone. If a student is in class and can’t answer, leave a message — which will be

automatically transcribed and emailed. (Google Voice is also a great way for kids to reach parents who travel frequently.) Google Voice offers free calls in the U.S. and Canada, and low rates on international calls.

GOOGLE CALENDAR Many students arrive at college not knowing how to manage their time effectively.

Digital calendars, such as Google Calendar or Apple’s iCal, can be accessed from a smartphone or tablet, allowing students to stay on top of their schedule no matter where they are. They have the ability to create multiple calendars, perhaps one for athletic practices or student government meetings, which can be kept separate or merged with a personal calendar. Best of all, if you have a free Google account, you can invite them to a Sunday dinner through the “add guest” feature on your calendar.

GOOGLE DRIVE Allows users to upload photos, videos, documents, and other files that are important to them with 15GB of storage. Drive also allows collaboration on documents. Things like grocery lists, event plans, or presentations can be shared and edited in real time, or kept private, which is the default setting for all documents.

HELPING YOUR STUDENT OWN HIS/HER EDUCATION TRACY GORRELL Assistant Director of the Center for Student Success

In high school, you (the parents), teachers, learning support staff, and guidance counselors all helped your child accomplish his/her goals and assisted them when in need. In college, the student is responsible for this. Because the student is now an adult, certain laws come into effect, specifically FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). Unless permission is given by the student, the employees at the University are not permitted to speak to anyone (parents included) about the student (including, but not limited to, classroom progress, grades, financial aid, and health concerns). Therefore, it is very important that the student learns to become their own advocate and take responsibility for his/her education.

The first step in taking ownership of their education is to have them introduce themselves to the key people at the University. This includes instructors, academic advisor, and counselors (Center for Student Success, financial aid, and career counselor). These people comprise the student’s circle of support at RMU. They are the network that your student can go to with questions and concerns.

Getting to know these individuals early will help your student establish a relationship that will last during their time at the university and beyond.

The second step in owning their education is to practice strong academic behaviors. This means going to class on time, listening to the lecture and taking notes, participating in class discussion, attending the instructors office hours if assistance is needed, participating in tutoring sessions and study

groups, studying for exams and quizzes, following directions for class assignments, completing assignments and turning them in on time, and exhibiting proper classroom behavior. Students who exhibit these behaviors excel in higher education.

The third step in taking ownership of an education is celebrating the successes and examining the missteps. Celebrating the success of earning an “A” on the math test that seemed impossible is important because your student needs to feel proud when they accomplish their goals, especially when the result was so spectacular. During the course of a college education, there will be some bumps in the road. Everyone struggles in something; therefore, if your student earns a “D” on their first Psychology exam, it is important to evaluate what behaviors were displayed prior to earning that grade. Perhaps your student did not read all of the assigned chapters for the exam. This would be a great step to start the new plan—read all chapters in the text for the next exam.

Taking ownership is such an important part of a student’s educational process. It helps them to mature, reach goals, and feel a sense of accomplishment each time a goal is reached. All of these are important characteristics that will help them in their personal and professional lives.

THE VALUE OF CAREER CONVERSATIONS BETH MILLER Assistant Director of the Career Center

Making decisions about majors and career goals can be confusing and overwhelming. When working with students, the Career Center stresses the importance of evaluating three factors: interests, skills and values. Students must first consider their interests. What are their hobbies?

What do they lose track of time while doing? What are they passionate about? Next, students must realistically evaluate their skills. What are their best subjects? In which subjects do they typically struggle? What are their natural traits (patience, creativity, etc.)? Finally, students must identify and prioritize their personal values. What is important to them? Of the options they are interested in and have the ability to do, which will be the best fit for the lifestyle they are seeking?

Of the three factors, students often have the most trouble applying their values to the decisionmaking process. While some students are able to

prioritize their values related to work, this process can be difficult for others who have limited work and life experience. Unfortunately, sometimes students learn about value conflicts the hard way, after beginning work in a career. Some alumni have made significant career changes after having worked in a field and experiencing value conflicts first-hand. The statements below represent a few of the conflicts shared by alumni: • “I’m making a lot of money, but I hate my job.”

• “I love what I’m doing, but I can’t make ends meet now that I have a family.”

• “I am doing well in my career, but I don’t feel like I impact others in my job. I didn’t realize how important it is for me to help other people through my work.”

• “I liked my job at first, but some of the things I was required to do didn’t feel right to me, so I quit. Now what?”

In order to avoid these types of conflicts, students must do sufficient career research. Ideally, all of the students’ top values would be met by the career options they are considering. Realistically, though, that is not always the case. It is important for students to really examine how they would define and prioritize values such as the following: Advancement Adventure Benefits Competition Concern for the Environment Creativity Family Geographic Location Health Helping Others

Independence Intellectual Stimulation Leadership Physical Work Prestige Privacy Professional Development Recognition Salary

Security Size/Type of Organization Spirituality Teamwork Travel Work Environment Work Schedule Working with People

HOW PARENTS CAN HELP WITH RESEARCH Print and online resources can provide basic information about how values relate to careers, but students should also talk to people working in the areas they are considering. The Career Center provides several resources to assist students such as the Robert Morris University Career Network (online LinkedIn networking group), job fairs and networking events on campus. However, parents and family members can also provide valuable connections through their own friends, relatives, co-workers and community members. Parents can start with an initial conversation about what options their student is considering and then help facilitate connections. Some students may appreciate their parents setting up informational interviews or shadowing experiences; others may simply want contact information and wish to take the initiative on their own.

TALKING WITH YOUR STUDENT ABOUT VALUES Students often know more about careers in which members of their family are employed. If your student has limited work experience, it may be helpful to share some of your own top values and how they are met or not met by your job. This type of conversation may make the importance of values more practical and easier to understand.

TALKING WITH YOUR STUDENT ABOUT MONEY Whether a student ranks salary at the top of their priority list or the bottom, it is a reality they all need to explore. Numerous resources provide average salary information for careers; however,

for students with limited work experience, these numbers often lack meaning. When asked what salary range students hope to earn in their career, many will state something along the lines of “I want to be comfortable.” When asked what “comfortable” means to them, many students can’t provide a specific salary range. Parents can be very helpful to their students by having an honest conversation about money. By discussing what their average household income is, students can then relate a monetary amount to the lifestyle they are accustomed to. Further discussion about household budgets can give students a realistic look at what salary range would be necessary to fit the lifestyle they consider “comfortable.”

BEGINNING THE CONVERSATION Relationships between college students and their parents are unique, even within families. Some students may seek out advice from their parents; others may not. If you are not sure how to initiate a conversation, consider using this article as a starting point. You could mention you were reading a newsletter that said many college student often struggle with (connecting values to specific jobs, finding people to talk to in a specific field, understanding salary information, etc.), and then ask, “What are your thoughts on that?” Or, “How can I help?”

Remember that the process of making career decisions can be stressful and overwhelming.

Showing that you care and asking how you can help, can make a huge difference.

NEWS FROM THE RMU FINANCIAL AID OFFICE It’s time to starting thinking about filing the 2014-15 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

To make the process as easy as possible, it’s best to submit the FAFSA about three weeks after 2013 Federal taxes are filed. That way, for most, tax return information for both student and parent(s) can be transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. The FAFSA can be filed at www.fafsa.gov.

It’s important that Pennsylvania residents file their FAFSA prior to May 1st, which is PHEAA’s deadline to be considered for a state grant. If you’re interested in filing your FAFSA with the help of one of our Financial Aid Counselors, please contact our office for an appointment - 412-397-6250.

Are you concerned about student loan repayment?

A wealth of information regarding loan repayment options, loan consolidation, and repayment

YOU’VE BEEN FLOCKED! Advance your academic progress this summer through RMU’s Summer School program. RMU will be offering almost 100 course options available in a variety of summer sessions, including an eight-week option beginning June 9.

REGISTRATION BEGINS MONDAY, MARCH 24.

For more information and to register, visit rmu.edu/summer

calculators can be found at www.studentaid.ed. gov/repay-loans. Even if graduation is a few years away, we recommend reviewing this information with your child. It’s never too early to prepare for repayment! Our office can provide loan borrowing tips and insight on the repayment process as well.

Did you know we have a list of external scholarship opportunities on the Financial Aid Section of the RMU website? Now is the time to begin exploring outside scholarship opportunities for next year!

Visit facebook.com/RmuFinAid for important financial aid news, reminders and tips!

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT BEHAVIOR SCOTT IRLBACHER Director of Special Programs and Student Community Standards

“I want you to always drive like I’m in the car with you.” Those were the sage words of advice my father gave to me the day I received my driver’s license. Just a few months later, I had wrecked his car after making some poor decisions while driving. What changed? My father wasn’t there to remind me of his expectations for the decisions I made while behind the wheel of a car. Just like teaching a teen how to drive, parents are challenged with a limited amount of time to raise a child to their expectations before sending them off into the world to make decisions for themselves. We all hope they make the decisions we would want them to make.

Just as if they were driving around in the family car with their friends, your student while on campus is challenged with making decisions on their own without parental supervision. When left to their natural devices, sometimes even the most wellbehaved and responsible 18-year old high school students can make illogical or dangerous decisions as an 18-year old college student. Being a college student can be a very different experience than the previous 18 years in your home. It is very much possible that your student has already encountered several situations they never encountered while in high school. These could involve decisions regarding alcohol, drugs, relationships, and sex. Many behaviors students believe to be common or socially acceptable in college can actually jeopardize their status with the university.

Robert Morris University has a transparent student conduct process, meaning our standards for conduct and the process to enforce those standards are available online without password access. Robert Morris University takes pride in providing a safe campus and holding students accountable for actions detrimental to the campus community. It should also be noted that RMU’s student conduct process is mutually exclusive of the criminal process. Students may be found responsible for violations without facing similar criminal charges. Our student conduct process is adjudicated by a trained professional rather than a judge in a court of law and the process determines whether a student is found “responsible” based on “a preponderance of evidence” showing it’s more likely than not that the student committed the violation. This differs from common American criminal court that looks for evidence “beyond a reasonable doubt” that a person is “guilty” of a crime.

How will your student act when they encounter situations involving illegal conduct (such as alcohol or drugs) or those involving conduct incongruent to your family’s values? With this in mind, please remember it’s never too late to have that conversation about your expectations for your student’s behavior while attending RMU. For more information on RMU’s student conduct process, visit rmu.edu/conduct.

GREETINGS FROM THE OFFICE OF MULTICULTURAL STUDENT VICTORIA SNYDER Director of Multicultural Student Services

I would like to extend a warm welcome to the Robert Morris University community and to the parents of our RMU students. The Office of Multicultural Student Services has some new and exciting changes coming this way. The purpose of our office is to foster a sense of community, within and among students of all races, genders and national origins. The office seeks to provide students, with truly unique cultural experiences.

We encourage students to embrace their own culture, while learning about the cultures of others. The cultural lessons learned at RMU will translate into life skills that can be utilized in the workplace, community and at home. The office serves as a venue for students who wish to expound on their knowledge and to embrace the differences and similarities between people from all backgrounds. I look forward to working with and engaging with our students. I appreciate your help and support, and if ever needed the office can be contacted by email, multicultural@rmu.edu or my phone, 412-397-6488.

UPCOMING EVENTS Visit rmu.edu for the university’s full calendar of events.

MARCH 10-14 26 26 27 31-Apr 1 31-Apr 4

Undergraduate Spring Break Women’s History Month Luncheon – Noon, Sewall Center Pittsburgh Speakers Series Presents Dan Rather – 8 p.m., Heinz Hall Jump Start Your Job Search - Noon, Sewall Center Senior Salute, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Nicholson Center Rotunda Greek Week (various events)

AFFINITY GROUPS Asian Student Association Black Student Union Carpe Mundum Claddagh Club Hispanic Student Association MOSAIC Saudi Student House Student Alliance for Equality Voci Italiane NATIONAL PANHELLENIC GREEK ORGANIZATIONS Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc

APRIL 3 5 8 9 18

Creativity at Work – 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Sewall Center Spring Fling – 9 p.m., Sewall Center Arena Spring Career Fair – Noon - 4 p.m., Sewall Center Spring Blood Drive – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., John Jay Gym Holiday. No classes. Administrative Offices closed.