5 Things to Know
As students nationwide get ready for the start of college, we’re beginning to see all sorts of lists about advice for college, things your student should know, etc. Here’s one from the Washington Post that has some general advice. We have some advice for incoming WFU freshmen (and this version for their parents) as part of our ‘virtual New Student Reception.’
The Washington Post article got me thinking about some of the very important practical, tactical things your Deacs should know. This generation tends to search online first, so this list will be in the form of how to search the WFU website for answers.
What if I get sick? All things medical care on campus belong to the Student Health Service. Go to the main WFU web page and search for “student health” and you will see the Student Health Service website. Colds, flus, mono, and other illnesses do happen on college campuses. The Student Health Service is there to provide routine and urgent care (as well as other things). Under the Services menu at left, you can see Resources and Schedules, which shows you local options for those rare times that Student Health is closed. (Also, be sure to communicate with your professors if you have an illness that prevents you from attending class).
What if there is a facilites problem or maintenance issue with my room? Anything that has to do with your residence hall room or common areas runs through Residence Life and Housing. Go to the main WFU web page and search for “Residence Life and Housing” and you will see a button at the bottom of their page that says “Facilities Service Request.” Fill out the service form online.
What if I lose my room key? Same as above – your room key is still part of the Residence Life and Housing world. Go to the main WFU web page and search for “Residence Life and Housing” and you will see a button at the bottom of their page that says “Facilities Service Request.” You will see an option for a Key Request form.
What if I lose my Deacon OneCard (ID card?) Interestingly enough, this road also leads to Residence Life and Housing. Go to the main WFU web page and search for “Deacon OneCard” and you will find a link to the Deacon OneCard office via Residence Life and Housing.
What if there is an emergency I need to report? Search for “University Police” on the main WFU web page and you’ll find their home page. It has the phone number to call in an emergency.
Those are Big Things to know from a practical standpoint.
There will be other things your Deac needs to figure out while on campus, of course. Rather than giving an exhaustive list of potential other situations, I’d urge your Deacs to think about what they need and try to search the main site. Having academic difficulty? Search on “tutoring.” Need some emotional support? Search on “Counseling Center.” Need information about airport shuttles? Search on “shuttles” – and so on.
And a gentle reminder – remember the “Stop, Drop, and Roll” method of letting your students develop their own independence and problem-solving skills. If your student needs resources online, let them do the searching on their own – don’t do it for them. While it might be easier for you to find the link and send it to them, they need to figure out how to locate those resources themselves. They’ll have to do their own problem solving for the rest of their lives – give them the freedom and space to start doing that now.
— by Betsy Chapman