NEWS
The Parents' Page -- your online one-stop information shop
See our Parents Web page for parent and guardian information. From tutoring help to care packages, from Family Weekend, to the calendar of events and the student job board, the Parents Page is designed to help you support your UNI student.
Show me the grades
With your student's permission, you can have online access to a variety of student information, including grades, u-bill and class schedule. The Parent Portal is located on the Parents Web page. It's password- protected and controlled by your student. Your student decides who has access to his or her information and what information will be shared. Access can be changed at any time. Talk to your student.
UNI offers online bill payment
University bills can be paid online. Send your student to MyUNIverse . Under "My Personal Records," select "Pay my E-bill." For more information, call (319) 273-2164 or e-mail accounts.receivable@uni.edu
Parents can take classes too -- and they're fun!
Have you wanted to learn more about topics such as Iowa's history, prairie grass, Russian literature, international travel, Middle-east politics, healthy lifestyles, opera appreciation or the history of film? Then Lifelong University is the program for you. Courses and class formats vary to include four-week, half-day workshops and lunch-n-learn programs.
EVENTS
Move-In Aug. 17-19
When you and your student arrive at UNI, look for the student volunteers in the bright yellow T-shirts with the purple ANTS logo -- Awesome Neighborhood Transport System. They're part of the UNI Move-In Crew. Their job is to lend a helping hand getting all your student's stuff into the residence halls. See http://www.uni.edu/dor/SmoothMove/moveinday.htm for more info.
Make plans to attend Family Weekend, Oct. 27
Mark your calendar for Family Weekend. It's a great time to learn how your student is doing, meet their friends and professors, and take in a football game or a Chemistry Department magic show.
Upcoming events
UNI fall Career Fair -- Sept. 17
Homecoming week -- Oct. 7-13
Family Weekend -- Oct. 26-28
Thanksgiving break -- Nov. 16-25
Finals week -- Dec. 10-14
Commencement -- Dec. 15
Holiday break -- Dec. 16-Jan. 13
Spring semester begins -- Jan. 14
Spring break -- March 14-23
TIPS
Letting go
Sending your student to college is a transition for the whole family; expect some bumps along the way. Here are some quick tips from the UNI Parents Association to help you through.
- Get to know UNI and its resources -- so if your student calls worried about a challenging class, you can suggest contacting Academic Advising for help.
- Let them be in charge of themselves -- college is only one step away from the real world. Now is the time to encourage self-sufficiency -- make their own oil change appointments, do their own laundry, handle their own finances, etc.
- Support them, but don't do it for them. Issues will come up throughout the year, from roommate disagreements to illness to registration problems. As tempting as it may be to call and handle things, this is a crucial time to step back and let them deal with it. Encourage and support them to use the various resources UNI has in place to help students.
- Homesickness. It happens to almost everyone at some point -- whether they want to admit it or not. Encourage your student to talk to their Resident Assistant or stop by the Counseling Center -- they can help.
Parent-to-parent tip: Calling to wake them up every morning for their first class -- even if they need it -- is a bad idea.
A Parent’s Reading List
You're On Your Own (But I'm Here If You Need Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years
Marjorie Savage (Simon & Schuster, 2003)
Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Understanding the College Years
Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger (HarperCollins, 2003)
The Launching Years: Strategies for Parenting from Senior Year to College Life
Laura Kastner and Jennifer Wyatt (Three Rivers Press, 2002)
Don't Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money: The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years
Helen E. Johnson and Christine Schelhas-Miller (St. Martin's Press, 2000)
RESOURCES
Emergencies
If your family has an emergency and needs to contact your student immediately, call the Dean of Students Office at (319) 273-2332, or after hours, UNI Public Safety at (319) 273-2712.
Emergencies require quick communication. UNI is exploring including text messaging via cell phone in our emergency notification system -- in addition to announcements via the UNI home page, e-mail, the media, etc. This would help us notify parents in the event of a campus-wide emergency (tornado, fire, earthquake, etc.).
Note: Text messaging would only be used for extreme emergencies. Not all cell-phone contracts include text messaging, and some providers charge a fee for receiving text messages. Check with your provider for details about your plan.
Please keep your contact information current through the Parent Portal.
UNI Parents Association Advisory Board -- We need you!
The UNIPA Advisory Board is a group of parents who meet twice annually to hear updates from the university leadership and to give input to the university. We need you! Please consider serving on the UNIPA advisory board. Contact James O'Connor, UNIPA liaison at (319) 273-6728, or james.oconnor@uni.edu with questions.
UNI PARENTS ASSOCIATION
All parents/guardians of UNI students are automatically members of the parents association, which works as an advocacy group. Benefits include e-newsletters each semester and a parents' booth at orientation. Contact James O'Connor, UNIPA liaison at (319) 273-6728, or james.oconnor@uni.edu with questions. The parents association also supports the Parents Fund, which supports student scholarships and activities on campus.
UNI Parents Association
103 East Bartlett Hall
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA 50614
(319) 273-6728