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Welcome to the Orange Family!

Dear New Parents and Families:

“Being Orange” extends far beyond our campus community. It reaches across the globe to each parent, guardian and family member who supports their Syracuse University student. You are now part of this Orange family, and on behalf of the Student Experience team, I welcome you.

This week, your student will arrive to campus to begin a unique period in their lives. Their time here will be marked with continuous learning, excitement, great friendships and adventures to explore, as they gain exposure to new ideas and learn more about themselves, experiencing everything that comes with being part of the Orange community.

There will also be times when they face a challenge, struggle with a decision or feel they can’t find the right place. Indeed, in a new NBC News/Generation Lab poll of rising sophomores at U.S. colleges and universities, 67% indicated they had experienced anxiety over the past (freshman) year. In my two decades working with college students, I have found these moments can be critical opportunities to build resiliency and life skills as they enter the next stage of their development.

When they come to you at these moments, here are some ways you can support the work we do to help students build confidence and life skills:

While your student is embracing this new independence and beginning their Syracuse University adventure, know that they are surrounded by a team that is here to support their transition, provide health and wellness services, offer ample opportunities to get involved and make connections, and deliver programs that help them build skills and grow as leaders and global citizens in their residential communities. Dean of Students Rob Hradsky and I lead a team of talented professionals who are committed and passionate about student development. We are here to support your student’s growth, progress and success.

We encourage you to reach out to us when you need us, too. New Student and Family Programs will be your continual resource for assistance and information to support your student’s transition to college life—from their first day as a new student, to the day they graduate. You can visit the Orange Families webpage for information, and the staff can be reached at family@syr.edu or 315.443.9187.

I look forward to seeing many of you during Syracuse Welcome, and at New Student Convocation on Thursday, Aug. 25. Please also save the date for Family Weekend, Oct. 14-16.

Wishing you all the best this year,

Allen Groves
Senior Vice President and Chief Student Experience Officer

Important Fall 2022 Health Requirements

Dear Families:

We are excited to welcome your student to campus in August! As you prepare for your student’s arrival, we are writing to highlight the importance of completing all health-related requirements as outlined in the required tasks list. We strongly encourage your student to submit their health-related documents as soon as possible.  It may take up to three business days to review documents.

Please note that failure to submit the documents by the July 1, 2022 deadline will prevent your student from completing their course enrollment, as well as selecting a move-in day and time.

Health-Related Requirements

Syracuse University students are required to submit proof of the following:

  • Full COVID-19 vaccination series and, for those eligible, proof of a COVID-19 booster;
  • Two Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccinations; and
    Meningococcal meningitis vaccination within the last five years and after the age of 16, or, a completed waiver form.

In addition, students must complete the following:

  • Tuberculosis (TB) Screening Questionnaire; and
  • If your student is under the age of 18, a parent or guardian must complete the Minor Consent Form.

Please disregard this message if your student has already completed this process.

Submitting Immunization Documents 

There are two parts to submitting immunization records—recording the date of vaccines and uploading proof of vaccines.  Records are not considered complete until a copy of immunization proof has been uploaded for verification.

  • Your student should log into the Patient Portal with their Syracuse University email and password.
  • Select the “Immunization” heading and then expand the “Enter Dates” section.
    • For COVID-19 Vaccines and Boosters
      • Find the type of COVID-19 vaccination you received and enter the date(s) of your doses
      • Enter your booster as Dose #3 for the vaccine type that you received, even if different from your initial COVID vaccination series (i.e., if you received two Moderna vaccines, but received the Pfizer booster vaccine, please enter the date of your booster under Pfizer, Dose #3).
    • For Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccines
      • Enter the dates of vaccination
    • For Meningitis
      • Enter the date of the vaccine
      • If you do not have the Meningitis vaccine, complete the waiver form found in “Forms” and “Newly Enrolling Students – Required Forms.”
  • Once the dates of each vaccine have been submitted, select the “Upload” tab from the top menu.
  • Follow all upload instructions.
  • In the drop-down menu labeled “Choose Document,” select the name of the document to be uploaded.
  • Click “Select a file,” choose the file containing your vaccination document and select “Upload.”

Completing the TB Screening Questionnaire

  • Your student should log into the Patient Portal with their Syracuse University email and password.
  • Select Forms from the top menu.
  • Click Tuberculosis (TB) Screen under the Newly Enrolling Students – Required Forms header
  • Complete and submit the TB screen form.

Please ask your student to complete health-related requirements as soon as possible to avoid any potential interruption in course enrollment, housing assignments and move-in day selection processes.

If you have any questions, please contact us at 315.443.9187 or via email at welcome@syr.edu. We are here to assist you throughout the summer as you prepare to arrive to campus.

Regards,

Missy Mathis-Hanlon
Director
New Student and Family Programs

Welcome to the Orange Family!

Dear Orange family members,

Welcome to Syracuse University! Whether you’ve recently joined our community in May or have known for some time that Syracuse would be your student’s new home this fall, we are excited to extend a warm welcome to you. We believe that a student’s family and supporters are an integral part of this transition, and we look forward to partnering with you to ensure a successful and valuable college journey.

You will receive occasional emails from us which may direct you to the Orange Families blog. Please be sure to stay connected with us through this platform which is intended to keep you informed of campus events, updates and support services.We’d like to share some important information as you begin to look forward to the fall:

  • Your student will continuously receive an e-newsletter called Becoming Orange via their @syr.edu email address. Students are encouraged to regularly check that email account. All issues are archived for easy and continuous access. 
  • The New Student and Family Programs website has checklists—notably one indicating required tasks and information to help new students prepare for the fall. Families are not copied on most emails from the University, so be sure to discuss the importance of communication with your student. 
  • Syracuse Welcome is the University’s required new student orientation program. The program connects students to their peers, faculty and staff through a variety of events and programming that supports their transition to campus life. 
  • Syracuse Welcome is scheduled for Aug. 25-28, 2022, with new student move-in on Wed., Aug. 24 and Thurs., Aug. 25. Pre-Welcome participants, including international students and students enrolled in a Living Learning Community, will have earlier move-in dates. 
  • Family Orientation is on Thurs., Aug. 25 from 9 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. ET. The session will be live-streamed and recorded for those unable to attend in person. If you are a first-time college parent, this session is particularly important for you as you’ll have the opportunity to connect with staff and administrators for any questions or concerns.In addition, families are welcomed and encouraged to attend our New Student Convocation on Thurs., Aug. 25 at 5:30 p.m. ET. There will be a celebratory picnic following the convocation, and school and college programming the morning of Friday, August 26. Families should plan to depart campus by noon on Fri., Aug. 26. 
  • Register for a virtual New Family Meet and Greet between May and August! This is an opportunity to learn more about our department, meet our team members and meet other Orange families beginning their academic journey this fall. 
  • Family Weekend will take place Oct. 14-16. More details on the schedule, football game tickets and registration will be available and communicated to you this summer.

Please contact us at 315-443-9187 or family@syr.edu for any questions. We’re here to help!

Go Orange! 

Missy Mathis-HanlonDirectorNew Student and Family Programs

Room Selection 2022

Just a reminder that today (March 17) is the deadline to complete the Housing Contract for students who wish to return to on-campus housing this fall.

Here are some details about Room Selection 2022.

If you have an admitted student, there is still plenty of time to complete the Housing Application for Fall 2022. Information for first-year students can be viewed here. Please remind your student to check their syr.edu e-mail account on a regular basis for current information.

Welcome New Parents and Families!

Dear New Parents and Families:

Whether your student is joining Syracuse University after attending another institution, or just getting started in their college journey, they are beginning an exciting new experience that will be filled with continuous learning, exploration and growth. On behalf of the Student Experience team, I welcome you and your student to the Orange family.

Your student is coming to Syracuse University at a unique time, not only in their development as a young adult, but also while still navigating an ongoing pandemic. Our public health measures and testing infrastructure have helped us deliver an engaging on-campus experience despite these challenges, and we remain hopeful the pandemic will soon recede. Our Student Experience team has planned an exciting semester filled with engagement opportunities and meaningful experiences to support your student’s health and well-being, connection and involvement.

We know that beginning any new experience also requires time to transition to and learn about this new environment. As your student adjusts to their new home, they may come to you with a situation they need help navigating or a challenge they are facing. I encourage you to empower them to “own the process,” seek answers and explore. At this stage in their development, this will help them build life skills and support their growth in advocating for their interests and goals. Please know there are campus resources and staff here to assist them during these times, including:

Throughout your student’s experience, New Student and Family Programs is also here as a resource to you and your family. They are readily available to assist and answer questions as your student transitions to life at Syracuse University, and as they progress throughout their Syracuse University experience. Visit the Orange Families blog for regular updates and do not hesitate to contact the staff at family@syr.edu or 315.443.1200.

We look forward to welcoming you to campus.

Wishing you and your student all the best this semester,

Allen Groves
Senior Vice President and Chief Student Experience Officer

Updates for Families of Seniors

Some of you have students who are completing the requirements for their degree this semester, while others have another semester to go. Either way, congratulations on supporting your student through this challenging and rewarding time of their life.

In recent weeks, many of you have been asking about Commencement 2022, so I thought now would be a great time to remind you of the Families of Seniors page on our website. It has a link to 2022 Commencement FAQs (limited information is available now–but look for updates next semester), last-chance dates for senior portraits and information about purchasing a yearbook or a yearbook ad.

Please know that, though our department has changed a bit, we are here for ALL families and supporters of Syracuse University students. For the remainder of the semester, you can reach us at 315-443-1200 or family@syr.edu.

Our website and physical location on campus will be changing soon, so please look for updates here on the blog.

Halloween is Coming… Time for a Discussion with Your Student

Many of us enjoy the festivities we’ve come to associate with Halloween, including donning costumes and going to parties. However, what’s meant to be fun can sometimes, unfortunately, end in unintended injury and/or insult.

Here are some things you need to know about Halloween:

  • College students who choose to dress up in costumes for Halloween are more likely to drink.
  • Lack of rules and oversight makes off-campus parties more likely to foster excessive drinking.
  • Halloween-themed drink promotions and high-profile parties can cause students to feel pressured to drink heavily, and to engage in unsafe sexual behavior.
  • When someone dresses up as a member of a culture/religion/race (etc.) that isn’t their own, particularly in an exaggerated or “humorous” way, it can be very hurtful to those who do belong to that group. Most students don’t really want to cause pain to fellow students and harm to the campus community they are so eager to be part of—but it happens. And the effects can linger.

Please consider talking to your student before Halloween to make sure they’ll have a fun holiday without hurting themselves or others. Here are some conversation starters:

“What are your plans for Halloween? Have you picked your costume already?”

“I hear that some people play drinking games based on costume styles. These types of games sometimes lead people to drink much more than they normally would, and that can be very harmful to your health.”

“Hanging around with drunk people all weekend can get old pretty fast. Do you and your friends have any unique ideas for other fun ways to celebrate?”

“What are your friends planning for Halloween?

“Tell me about your costume and why you decided to dress like that. Who might laugh and who might cringe? Would you be OK with a picture of you in that costume going viral on the internet?”

There are many ways to celebrate Halloween without getting hurt or doing harm. Having a conversation with your student can encourage them to make better decisions, consider the impact their behavior has on others, and drive them to find alternative plans for fun.

Additional Resources

A Campus Safety Message from Chief Maldonado

Student safety is the number one priority of every member of the Department of Public Safety (DPS). When we see a pattern of behavior that we feel our community needs to be aware of, we send out informational notices to alert the community. This is why we sent an informational notice campus-wide on Sept. 13 about the burglaries that had been occurring on South campus. We also send out informational notices when we make arrests, like we did recently about an arrest that was made in connection with a burglary incident.

Along with communicating with our community, we increased patrols in the affected areas. In addition to our normal patrol staff that focus on North and South campus, we have the following additional patrols that focus off-campus:

  • Orange Watch patrols, focus on expanded DPS presence in key areas on North and South campuses and in the neighborhoods north and east of campus. The program expands DPS peace officers’ hours of armed walking, bicycle and vehicle patrol coverage. It supplements DPS’ and other law enforcement agencies’ current activities in areas frequented by students, faculty and staff.
  • The University Area Crime-control Team (UACT) patrols, staffed jointly by DPS and the Syracuse Police Department (SPD) and patrols in the immediate off-campus and fraternity/sorority neighborhoods focused on robbery and burglary suppression. The primary mission of the UACT is to further enhance the safety and security of University community members on campus and in designated areas closest to the University’s campus. Both enforcement agencies patrol areas in the campus area on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
  • The Neighborhood Safety Patrol program is a partnership between the residents, the University, and the Syracuse Police Department. The Department of Public Safety designates one or two patrol units to respond to incidents involving Syracuse University students that occur in the patrol area. When necessary, DPS officers will document student violations of the law and the Syracuse University Code of Student Conduct. DPS officers will respond at the request of the Syracuse Police Department officers assigned to the Neighborhood Patrol. DPS also patrols the east neighborhoods, reporting safety issues and suspicious incidents directly to the Syracuse Police Department.

Also, in addition to the over 2,000 cameras and views that we have on campus and swipe card access to the residence halls, we have residential community safety officers (RCSOs) in the entrance of every residence hall to monitor and control access to by checking the identification of all persons entering the residence halls and signing in visitors and guests who are escorted by a hall resident. RCSOs control access to the halls, ensuring that only residents and staff are permitted access to the hall during restricted hours.

There are also a number of services available to our students to help keep them and make them feel safe. Students can call for a safety escort provide by Parking and Transportation Services (315.443.RIDE) and sign up for the Rave Guardian app on their smartphone, which acts as a mobile blue light, allowing them to contact the DPS Emergency Communications Center with the touch of a button and transmit their physical location during the call or report safety tips should they see suspicious activity.

Finally, we encourage all our community members to follow these safety strategies:

  • Always lock your doors and windows, even when you are home. When you are not home, make your home look occupied and make sure there is good lighting around your doors for when you return home.
  • Be aware of your surroundings! Many crimes occur right under the noses of people who just did not notice anything suspicious. When in question, please report it anyway!
  • Do not leave valuables out in the open; when you leave your residence, make sure you secure your belongings so that they are not visible out in the open.

For additional safety strategies, visit our website at dps.syr.edu.

Bobby Maldonado
Chief, Department of Public Safety

Family Weekend 2021 | October 8-10

We are just about one month out from Family Weekend 2021 and we look forward to your joining us!  Almost 1,300 families have already registered, and we are most grateful for that.

As you finalize your plans, please note that there are programs beginning as early as Friday afternoon with a Family Weekend Welcome Reception and Schine Student Center Open House on Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Schedule

The Family Weekend schedule is now available on the University Community Calendar.  The calendar will be continuously updated through October 4. Please read the session descriptions because, in some cases, an RSVP is requested or required.

Family Weekend Registration

The Family Weekend registration fee of $50 per family is not simply for parking but includes all aspects of the program. A parking pass is included with your registration. More details about parking are covered in the section below.

Football Ticket Purchases

The Syracuse Orange football team will play the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons on Sat., October 9.  Tickets are available for purchase online. Most students wish to sit in the student section for the Family Weekend football game. If your student has a season pass, please ask them what their plans are prior to purchasing them a ticket.

Please note that the kick-off time is not yet announced, but we should have more details about ten days prior to the game.

Parking Information

Parking passes will be e-mailed to those who are registered on or before Monday, October 4.  If you register after that time or wish to register in person, please come to the Family Weekend Welcome and Registration Center to pick up your parking pass (or send your student).

Accommodations

If you requested accommodations for accessibility purposes, someone from our staff will personally reach out to you. Please expect an e-mail or a phone call in the coming days.

Message from Senior Vice President Allen W. Groves: Welcome to the Orange Family

Being Orange extends far beyond our community on campus. It reaches across the globe to each parent, guardian and family member who supports their student. You are now part of this Orange family, and on behalf of the Student Experience team, I welcome you.

This week, your student will arrive on campus to begin a unique period in their life. Their time here will be marked with continuous learning, excitement, great friendships and personal growth, as they learn about themselves and what it means to part of our community.

There will also be times when they face a challenge, struggle with a decision or feel they can’t find their place. I have found these moments can be critical opportunities to help build resilience and important life skills as your student enters the next stage of their development as young adults.

When they come to you at these moments, here are some of the ways you can help support them in this journey:

While your student is embracing this new independence and beginning this great adventure on campus, know that they are surrounded by a Student Experience team that is here to support their transition, provide health and wellness services, offer ample opportunities to get involved and make connections, and deliver programs that help them build skills and grow as leaders and global citizens in their residential communities. We have many talented professionals who are committed to, and passionate about, your student’s growth, progress and success.

We encourage you to reach out to us when you need us, too. New Student and Family Programs will be your continual resource for assistance and information to support your student’s transition to college life—from their first day as a new student, to the day they graduate. You can visit the New Student and Family Programs blog for regular updates, and the staff can be reached at parents@syr.edu or 315.443.1200.

I look forward to seeing many of you during Syracuse Welcome and over the next few years.

Wishing you all the best at this exciting time for your family,

Allen W. Groves
Senior Vice President for the Student Experience