Communications

Date: Jun 11, 2010

To: Parents of New Transfer Students

From: Patricia M. Lampkin, U.Va. Student Affairs

Subject: Welcome Parents of New Transfer Students

Dear Parents of New Transfer Students:

Greetings and welcome to the University of Virginia community. As your daughter or son prepares to transfer into the University, the coming year promises change, excitement, and the start of a new chapter in your family life.

Summer Orientation marks the beginning of this transition for you and your son or daughter. We look forward to introducing you to the many unique aspects of the University and answering any questions or concerns. Please plan to participate as fully as possible in one of the two orientation sessions for parents of transfer students (either July 22 or 23) and to take advantage of the various ways in which you can become familiar with the U.Va. student experience. In order to sign up, your student should register you as a guest at http://www.virginia.edu/orientation/summer/register.html. The deadline to register was June 1, but students can continue to register parents or other guests prior to the July 22 and 23 sessions.

At the same time we look forward to welcoming you this summer with your daughters and sons, we are saying goodbye to our graduating students and dealing with the aftermath of an unprecedented tragedy. As you know from news reports and from our Web site, our community is grieving the death of Yeardley Love, a fourth-year student who died at the suspected hands of another fourth-year student. We are doing everything possible to assist students who need additional support at this time, and we are looking ahead to ways in which we expand our already extensive educational efforts around health and safety.

I regret that my letter of welcome necessarily has to address this tragedy, but I also want to reassure you, as newcomers to the University, that the health and safety of our students is of utmost priority at the University of Virginia. We view parents as partners in the learning process. We count on you to continue to guide and support your student at the same time we are helping them navigate a new environment. It is important that you know the ways in which college presents students with choices and freedom, and, at the same time, responsibility, for the health and safety of themselves and their friends. We look forward to discussing these topics more in depth with you at Summer Orientation.

Open communication with parents about student life, especially health and safety issues, is one of my ongoing commitments. More information below directs you to a Web site where you can sign up for regular parent e-mail updates from me during the school year. We hope the communication will become two-way – we like to hear from you as well. In addition, we look forward to your involvement in programs planned especially for parents and family members. Family Weekend, programs and activities in your region sponsored by UVaFamilies, athletic events, travel programs, publications, and the University’s Web site all offer avenues for you to stay informed about the University of Virginia and become an active part of this community.

In particular, please note the following ways in which we invite you to stay in touch with student life and the broader University community:

• Sign up for parent e-mail news updates. These periodic messages from me highlight health and safety issues, remind you about key dates, such as immunization clinics, and summarize other topics that may be of special interest to parents. Your information will be used only for communication from my office and other U.Va. offices interacting with parents. You can sign up by going to http://hoosonline.virginia.edu/parentsemail.

 

• If you would like to receive a daily e-mail with news updates from the University, please go to http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/ and click on the orange “Sign Up” link at the bottom of the page.

 

• As a reminder, you can always visit the University’s main Web site at http://www.virginia.edu for the most up-to-date information on activities and events on the Grounds. In times of emergency or inclement weather, the home page will be updated frequently. Please keep this in mind. During rapidly changing situations, the U.Va. home page will be your best source of information coming directly from the University.

 

• Please mark your calendar for Family Weekend this fall – November 5-7. We recommend that you make hotel reservations as soon as possible since local accommodations fill up quickly. The Web site, www.virginia.edu/familyweekend, provides more details along with a link to area lodging. Please continue to check the site -- it will be updated this fall with the complete schedule.

I look forward to seeing you this summer at one of the two Orientation sessions for parents of transfer students. Beginning that morning in Old Cabell Hall, I will have the opportunity to welcome you and your daughter or son to the Grounds. After I speak, Dean of Students Allen Groves will speak to parents in an always-popular session on parents as partners in the educational process. Equally informative sessions on safety, health, money management, academic programs, student housing, and more will take place over the course of the day.

We hope Orientation will be the beginning of a rewarding new chapter in your family life as you join the University of Virginia community.

Sincerely,

Patricia M. Lampkin

Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer