Parent Orientation

Description and Purpose

Parents continue to play a role of the utmost importance in their college student's development and education. Parent & Guest Orientation helps parents create realistic expectations and offers a great deal of information to assist both parents and students in making the transition to Michigan.

Each summer the Office of New Student Programs offers approximately 32 two-day orientation sessions for the parents (or guests) of new students. Parent & Guest Orientation, run separately from the student program, focuses on a variety of topics of interest to parents of new students. These include housing, money management, academic requirements, health services, personal and property safety, student life, and family transition. These presentations are given by faculty and staff, and also by current University students. Although parents may attend Orientation on the same date as their student, please remember that the parent and student programs are entirely separate; there are no scheduled meetings between parents and students during Orientation.

Ranging in size from 80 - 180 parents, each Parent & Guest Orientation group is led by three specially trained student leaders. These leaders share their impressions and experiences concerning University life with each group and are available to answer most any question. Information about Parent & Guest Orientation 2008 will be mailed to the student's permanent address in the spring. If there are family members who live elsewhere who would like information, please contact the Office of New Student Programs.

Sample Schedule for Parent Orientation

(subject to change).

DAY 1

8:00 Check In & Continental Breakfast

9:05 Welcome & Information Session, presented by the Office of New Student Programs

9:40 Transitions, presented by Counseling and Psychological Services

10:05 Campus Safety, presented by the Department of Public Safety

10:35 Living on Campus, presented by University Housing

11:40 Money Matters, presented by the Office of Financial Aid

12:45 Lunch

1:50 Health Resources, presented by University Health Service

2:15 MI Community, presented by the Office of Student Conflict Resolution, the Sexual Assault Prevention & Awareness Center and University Health Service

3:20 Career Resources, presented by the Career Center

3:45 Student Panel, presented by the Office of New Student Programs

4:30 Campus Tour, presented by the Office of New Student Programs

DAY 2

8:30 Academics at Michigan, presented by the Office of New Student Programs and University of Michigan faculty

10:30 Meet with Representatives from your student's academic school or college

1:00 Residence Hall Tours (optional) of selected halls

Timeline for Orientation Information

Approximately 2-3 weeks after students pay their enrollment deposit to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (but no earlier than mid-April), the student will receive information about Summer Orientation 2008 through electronic mail. The student should register online for orientation as soon as the information is received to ensure the best possible selection of Orientation dates.

Details about Parent & Guest Orientation will be mailed to the student's permanent address in the spring. Students can sign up parents and guests for an orientation session when they sign up for Freshman Orientation. Parents and guests may also sign up for Parent & Guest Orientation at a later date, as there are typically no space limitations for the Parent & Guest Orientation program.

Approximately one week after the student registers online for Freshman Orientation, the student will receive an e-mail confirmation which confirms the Orientation session to which the student has been assigned. Do not make any travel plans until this e-mail confirmation has been received! If the student registered a parent or guest for Parent & Guest Orientation, a separate confirmation letter will be sent by postal mail directly to the parent or guest to confirm the Parent & Guest Orientation date.

June 9-August 8
Students and parents attend their assigned orientation sessions.

Late August-Early September
Students who did not attend a summer orientation session will attend the Fall Orientation. Parents who did not attend a summer orientation session may attend the Fall Parent Orientation, which is a half-day program on Tuesday, August 26, 2008.

Signing up for Parent Orientation

Information about signing up for Parent & Guest Orientation will be mailed to the student's permanent address in the spring. Students can use the online registration form to sign up parents and guests for Parent & Guest Orientation.

If you do not receive the orientation information, please call the Office of New Student Programs. The Parent & Guest Orientation program can also accommodate a small number of walk-ins.

Parent Accommodations

Kensington Court & Holiday Inn Express Hotels

Because we are unable to provide housing for parents in East Quad, the Office of New Student Programs has made arrangements with the Kensington Court and the Holiday Inn Express to provide discounted rates for students’ families attending Summer Orientation. The Kensington Court and the Holiday Inn Express are both located on the same property, approximately 22 miles west of Detroit Metropolitan Airport and just 2 miles south of the University of Michigan near I-94.

Services and amenities for both facilities include an indoor pool and whirlpool. Each room features a hair dryer, coffee maker, full-size ironing board, premium cable, 2 telephones and data ports, a $10 dinner voucher at Graham’s Restaurant, and complimentary high-speed internet access. Accessible rooms for people with disabilities are available.

The Kensington Court, in addition to the amenities and services listed above, features a full-service restaurant and lounge, room service, pillow-top mattresses, complimentary bottled water, exercise room, bell service, business center, and sauna. Complimentary breakfast at Graham’s Restaurant, and complimentary copies of the Ann Arbor News and New York Times are also provided.

The Holiday Inn Express is more limited in amenities and services than the Kensington Court Hotel but does feature a complimentary deluxe continental breakfast served in the lobby as well as room service from the Kensington Court.

A limited number of rooms are available at each hotel for a flat rate of $78.00 for either a single or double at the Kensington Court or a flat rate of $68.00 for a single or double at the Holiday Inn Express. Please note that this rate does not include applicable taxes (8%) and applies only to Parent and Guest Orientation participants. Rooms must be reserved no later than one week in advance of your planned arrival. Reservations made less than one week before your arrival date and extended stays are subject to availability. The Office of New Student Programs is not responsible for making hotel reservations.

You can make reservations at either the Kensington Court or Holiday Inn Express by phone at 800/344-7829. Reservations for the Kensington Court can also be made online at www.kcourtaa.com using the group booking code UP8. At this time, the discounted rate for the Holiday Inn Express is not available to be booked online.

Free shuttle services will be provided for all parents and guests at scheduled times to and from the hotels to campus. The hotel will provide schedule information for this shuttle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fee for Parent & Guest Orientation?
The fee for Parent & Guest Orientation 2008 has not yet been determined.

Why is there a fee for Parent & Guest Orientation?
The Parent & Guest Orientation fee covers overhead costs, including room rentals, technology rentals and fees, student staff salaries, meals, beverage breaks, and publications. The program is self-supporting and fees are designed to cover the costs of the program.

How can I communicate with my student during Orientation?
Because the students have an extremely busy schedule, we provide a message board next to the Summer Orientation front desk that both parents and students can use for communication back and forth. At the Summer Orientation front desk you will also be able to find your students phone number but our staff is not allowed to give out room numbers for security reasons.

Will we have any joint programs with the students?
There is a bit of program overlap on the morning of day two for the Academics at Michigan. Parents and students are encouraged to sit together should they both desire. We ask, however, that parents do not try to accompany their students once the two programs split.

May we attend Parent & Guest Orientation at a different time than our student's session?
Though most parents attend Orientation at the same time as their students, we realize this is not always convenient, and parents are welcome to attend Parent & Guest Orientation at any time during the summer.

Is there housing provided during the Parent & Guest Orientation program?
There is no housing included in the Parent & Guest Orientation fee. Nearby parents may commute during the program, and out of town parents are responsible for their own accommodations. The Office of New Student Programs does have a block of rooms reserved for Parent & Guest Orientation participants for a reduced fee at local hotels. A shuttle service is provided from selected hotels to Central Campus. Details about making a reservation at the selected hotels will be included in the Summer Orientation brochure, or see above.

Where may we park during the Orientation program?
The City of Ann Arbor has numerous meters and parking structures for use. We recommend using the parking structure located on Forest Ave. between Willard and South University. The Office of New Student Programs is not responsible for any parking tickets acquired in Ann Arbor during Parent & Guest Orientation.

What if I never received/threw out my registration materials for Parent & Guest Orientation?
Call the Office of New Student Programs (734-764-6413) to receive new materials or to register by phone.

May we eat in a residence hall during the program?
You are welcome to purchase a guest meal card for Summer Orientation or any other residence hall serving meals.

How many parents & guests attend Parent & Guest Orientation?
About 50% of the new students' parents & guests attend Parent Orientation. The majority of these parents & guests usually have never had a child attend college before, or at least have never had a child attend Michigan before.

Your question not listed here?
E-mail onsp@umich.edu.