Summer Series to Families of Incoming First-Year Students
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Dear Tulane Parents,
We are so pleased to have your new first year student join us for fall 2024. As the Director of Family Programs and External Relations, I'm happy to welcome you into our Tulane community. At Tulane we consider families to be partners with us in supporting your students' education and growth during their university experience. To that end, Family Programs offers publications, webinars, tutorials, events, and other resources to assist you in supporting your student.
One of those resources is this Tulane Family Newsletter. We send this communication to families of incoming new students twice a month now through mid-August with information to help you navigate your student's high school-to-college transition and preparation for beginning the fall semester. Once the academic year begins, you will hear from us once a month from September through May. Each issue will feature university resources and offer practical recommendations, reminders of deadlines, and preparation for upcoming procedures. There is also a convenient list of Quick Links at the bottom of each e-newsletter, but if you bookmark families.tulane.edu/info, you can find links most of the information you'll ever need.
Please keep in mind that this e-newsletter and the families.tulane.edu website are the only official Tulane Family Programs communication mechanisms. (While there are a few unofficial social media parent groups, they are not managed or monitored by Tulane staff.) Make sure you’re looking to Tulane Family Programs tools, emails directly from Tulane departments, and Tulane University websites for correct information on university policies and current guidance on procedures and resources.
This first newsletter issue is longer than usual to share a lot of helpful information to get you started:
- Summer Preparation for Students' First Year: New Student Checklist, Newsletters, and Online Modules
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Family Programs Webinars
- Due May 8: Required On-Campus Housing Application
- Move-In and Housing for First-Year Students
- Advice for Purchasing Room Supplies
- Fall Semester 2024 Important Dates and Deadlines
Again, welcome to the Tulane community!
Warm regards,
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Penny Wyatt, Director
Family Programs and External Relations
Division of Student Affairs
phone: 1-877-887-9283
P.S.
- If you need to correct your contact information, please use the "Update Profile" link at the very bottom of this message.
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If your spouse or partner didn't receive the e-newsletter, recommend that they check their spam folder first, then use this link to subscribe, if needed.
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Summer Preparation for Students' First Year:
New Student Checklist, "Navigator" Newsletters & Modules
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To help your student prepare to matriculate for fall semester, the Newcomb-Tulane College First-Year Experience Office publishes a comprehensive New Student Checklist. Using this tool will help keep your student on track for everything from submitting immunization and health insurance information to setting up parents' access to the tuition and fees bill. We do expect students to complete the checklist, but understand that at this stage in students' transition to college, parents' assistance may be needed with several items. Review the whole checklist with your student now and then check it together once a week so your student won't miss any deadlines. This convenient online tool has links to relevant details, submission forms, and instructions.
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The First-Year Experience Office also sends all first-year students an important series of "Navigator" e-newsletters to their Tulane e-mail addresses. The first "Welcome to Tulane University!" issue was sent on May 6. The Navigators continue twice a month during the summer and through students' first academic year. Please help us by reminding your student to keep up with their Tulane email and read those important messages. If you would like to follow along, you can find the Navigator archive at the bottom of this webpage.
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Another essential part of new students' preparation is the completion of required online New Student Modules, designed by First-Year Experience to help students navigate the transition to college life, gain a better understanding of academic expectations, and learn about campus resources. Working through the modules will help students feel more prepared, confident, and connected as they begin their journey at Tulane.
The New Student Modules are located in Canvas, Tulane's online learning management system which students will use for all their future courses. Students' May 6 Navigator e-newsletter explained in detail how the modules work. Briefly, students log in with their Tulane email and password, find the module on the Canvas Dashboard, and have until the last day of the month to complete the REQUIRED monthly modules.
The May module focuses on Academics and includes sections on College Advising, Campus Services, and the Goldman Center for Student Accessibility. Completing this module by May 31 is essential preparation for students' advising appointment in June to select their fall semester courses. Completing the self-paced module will take 2.5 - 3 hours, but students can pause the module and resume progress later.
The New Student Module topics for subsequent months will address:
- May - Exploration
- June - Belonging
- July - Community
- August - Hullabaloo Hello
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New students have Modules to guide their preparation. For families, we offer these newsletters and a special summer series of webinars and tutorials. Many topics will align with the content in the students' Modules. Don't worry, you won't have the required responses to submit like your students do!
We're kicking off our Summer 2024 series of Family Programs webinars for parents of new students with three topics especially relevant for this stage of your student's preparation for their future at Tulane.
Click the webinar titles below for complete descriptions and registration links. You'll receive a confirmation email after registering and a Zoom join link the day of the event. All Family Programs webinars will be recorded and posted a few days after the event in the Family Programs Webinar Archive at https://families.tulane.edu/webinars-tutorials.
Wednesday, May 15, 6 p.m. Central Time
Tuesday, May 21, 2024, 6 p.m. Central Time
The schedule of June and July family webinars will be in a future newsletter issue.
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Due May 8: Required On-Campus Housing Application with
Options to apply for Gender-Affirming Housing & Residential Learning Communities
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Housing applications are due May 8
Incoming students must complete their Housing Application for the 2024-2025 Academic Year and sign their Housing Agreement by May 8, 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
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Gender Affirming Housing (GAH) - If your student would like to be assigned to Gender Affirming Housing, they must indicate that on their housing application. Learn more about Gender Affirming Housing.
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Residential Learning Communities (RLCs) - Tulane's Residential Learning Communities (RLCs) are immersive spaces in a residence hall where students live together to learn about and participate in activities centered around a theme. There are 8 Residential Learning Communities to choose from for the 2024-2025 Academic Year! Find all the details online.
- Current - build and engage in academic, intellectual, STEM-focused communities for first-year women
- Explore - experiential, place-based outdoor recreation. learning about the Gulf South and beyond
- Global New Orleans - rich cultural tapestry of New Orleans and its global influences
- Ignite - entrepreneurship and innovation
- Kaleidoscope - gender-affirming living community for 2SLGBTQIA+ students
- Spark - Newcomb Institute gender-focused programming and opportunities
- Squad - leadership, teamwork, tradition, excellence, and school pride
- The 1963 Collective - exploring Black history, culture, and knowledge
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IMPORTANT: There is a separate RLC application process in addition to the Housing Application, which includes about 3 supplemental questions on the applicant's interest in the RLC topic. The RLC application also closes May 8, 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
Roommate requests
Beginning June 4 through June 19, students may request a roommate through the Housing Portal. Students are invited in early June to log back into the Housing Portal during our roommate matching period and request a roommate if they wish.
Room Assignments - First-year students are assigned housing based on the availability of each space. Students will be notified of their housing assignment via their Tulane email by mid-July.
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Move-In and Housing for First-Year Students |
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Move-In for first-year students will be August 11 - 13, 2024. Please do not make travel arrangements until your student has been assigned their move-in time slot. Housing & Residence Life will e-mail new students their assigned 30-minute Move-In arrival time slot to their Tulane email addresses later in May. By assigning Move-In arrival times, Tulane spreads out the number of students and families on campus at one time and provides students some flexibility in planning their arrival. If a student has an unavoidable conflict during their time slot, there will be a period when they may cancel their time slot and select a new one from available options in the Housing Portal. More details will be included in the time slot assignment email messages.
Scheduling your travel for Move-In
Most families arrive the night before their student’s assigned Move-In Day. (Don't miss details about travel discounts in the next Family Newsletter issue!)
Parents/families Activities on Move-In Day include:
- assigned move-in/arrival time slots run from morning through mid-afternoon
- 1 - 4 p.m. Family Resource Station staffed by key departments and resources
- 5 - 5:45 p.m. Family Welcome from senior university leaders
**Students will have their own meeting with their Wave Leaders from 5 - 5:45 p.m.
- 6 - 7:30 p.m. Center for Intercultural Life Orientation (more details TBA)
- Students and families have the rest of the evening free to have dinner on- or off-campus and finish unpacking and setting up students' rooms.
The day after your students' assigned Move-In Day:
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10:00 a.m. Families should plan to leave by 10 a.m.
Students' first required meeting starts at 10 a.m. and activities continue the rest of the week until the first day of classes. Please support your student in getting all the benefits of their "Hullabaloo Hello" orientation activities by allowing them to focus and fully participate on their new experience.
Consult the website and stay tuned for more details . . .
More information about Move-In, other housing information, and specific instructions for mailing/shipping students' belongings to campus will be announced later in the summer and will be featured in an upcoming Family Programs tutorial. Once students receive their housing assignments, they can find community descriptions and general room details on the Residence Halls webpage.
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*PRO TIP: If you wish to spend time in New Orleans as a family, it’s best to schedule that before your student's Move-In Day.
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Advice for Purchasing Room Supplies |
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Here's some helpful advice if you are purchasing items--or your student is planning to use graduation gifts--to outfit your student’s residence hall room.
Keep in mind it might be more cost-effective and efficient to wait until later in the summer to order from retailers so your student’s items can be shipped directly to Tulane. This will save you from having to ship them again from your home to campus. No items should arrive at Tulane prior to July 15, 2024, or they will be returned to the vendor. Our Mail Services staff advise that when ordering items, you don’t have much control over when the vendor sends them. Vendors may promise a later delivery, but to recognize the sale, they must ship when you make the purchase. So, it’s better to wait to make those orders so they do not arrive before July 15.
Also, be aware that Tulane partners with University Student Services (USS) on a special residence hall supplies program for linens and décor called DORMCO. Complete details will be sent later. Unless you want purchases shipped to your home first, items should not be ordered until after Tulane Mail Services sends your student their mailing address and detailed shipping information later in the summer. No items will be accepted by the Tulane Mail Room before July 15.
You can wait until Move-In to buy gently used residence hall supplies during the annual Trash to Treasure sale. The Trash to Treasure student organization sells items donated by students at spring move-out and donates sale profits to local New Orleans service organizations. Items vary each year, but typical treasures include plastic storage drawers, desk lamps, mirrors, hangers, shower caddies, hampers, rugs, pillows, shelves, clothes, and more!
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Fall Semester 2024 Important Dates and Deadlines |
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In addition to the deadlines from the New Student Checklist and your student's specific Move-In Day described above, here are other important dates to add to your calendar:
August 19, 2024 Classes begin
August 30, 2024 Last day to register/add classes **We recommend waiting until this date before scheduling your student's end-of-semester travel home, since changes to their class schedule may change their final exam dates.
September 2, 2024 Labor Day Holiday
October 3 - 6, 2024 Fall Break
November 7 - 10, 2024 Family Weekend **You may want to arrive on the evening of Thursday, November 7 so you can attend as many parent/family-specific Friday, November 8 events as possible. More detailed information about our Wave'24 - Homecoming/Reunions/Family Weekend will be shared soon!
November 25 - December 1, 2024 Thanksgiving Break
December 6, 2024 Last Day of Classes
December 9 - 14, 2024 Exams
The only break for which the residence halls close is the Winter Break between the fall and spring semesters. The residence halls remain open and staffed for Labor Day, Fall Break, and Thanksgiving Break during the fall semester.
You can find the university holidays, students' breaks, and Tulane's Religious Observance Policy on the Office of the Registrar's Academic Calendar. Select the Undergraduate Academic Calender and use the buttons and drop-down list to find the correct year and term (semester).
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Whew! That was a lot of information, but hopefully, it was not too overwhelming. The goal for subsequent newsletter issues this summer is to inform you to support your student's preparation in manageable steps. Future topics:
- Ordering Procedures for Books and Other Course Materials
- Technology Device Recommendations and Accommodations
- Student Billing Procedures
- More Family Webinars
- Wave '24 - Homecoming/Reunion/Family Weekend news
- Move-In & Family Weekend Travel: Airfare & Lodging Discounts
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This convenient list of Quick Links to university resources will be in every issue of the newsletter. You can also use families.tulane.edu/info to find more of the links parents and families use the most, email families@tulane.edu, or call 877-TUP-WAVE (877-887-9283).
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To update your email address, use the "Update Profile" link below. |
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