Academic advisors sometimes think of parents as helicopters swooping down on their college kids’ lives. The Dean of Students Office (DSO) has found a way to harness that energy through their family chat program.
In its second year this fall, the DSO has reached out to over 500 parents through bi-monthly online chats. General themes highlight areas like transitioning to UF academically and socially, preparing for mid-term and final exams, and planning ahead for summer and sophomore year. Each session lasts two hours, and the DSO’s analysis shows that most parents remain actively engaged in each chat for an hour or more.
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| Jaime Gresley, Asst. Dean Director of New Student and Family Programs |
When asked why the DSO goes to such lengths to connect with parents, Jaime Gresley, Assistant Dean and Director of New Student and Family Programs, explained “We want to be proactive with family members and make parents our partners. Through conversations with them, we can often identify and work on student issues before they mushroom into larger problems.”
Parents bring a wide array of topics to the conversations, but many of their questions center on areas familiar to academic advisors--transitioning from high school to UF, course expectations, and major exploration. On the social side, they worry about their students finding their niche outside of the classroom, connecting with friends and peers, and in some cases dealing with homesickness.
To help field the range of questions parents pose, each chat session usually involves a professional and student staff member from the DSO, often a member of the Division of Housing, sometimes a representative from the Counseling Center, as well as an academic advisor or two.
Lynn O’Sickey from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been a regular participant in family chats. “I enjoy hearing from parents, helping them understand what’s going on at UF,” commented O’Sickey. “I especially enjoy when one parent is particularly worried or frustrated and the other parents offer common sense advice instead of feeding anxiety. . . I recall one chat in which a parent brought up her student’s complaint about teachers with accents. It was satisfying to point out that there are lots of people in the US with accents and that the student will probably get used to it pretty quickly if he/she sits up front and pays attention. Some of the other parents agreed with that and another advisor pointed out that, in our global society, learning to cope with accents will be a helpful skill.”
Gresley is eager to recruit more academic advisors to these sessions, since so many questions relate to our areas of expertise. “The DSO counts on a referral network of academic experts for the work we do,” says Gresley, “and we are so grateful to the academic advising community for the support they provide us.”
Interested in participating in an upcoming family chat session? Here’s the schedule of remaining chat sessions for the academic year. If you’re interested, contact Jaime Gresley.
Wednesday, December 1, 5-7PM
Wednesday, December 1, 5-7PM
Thursday, December 16, 11AM-1PM
Thursday, January 13, 11AM-1PM
Wednesday, January 26, 5-7PM
Thursday, February 24, 11AM-1PM
Wednesday, March 2, 5-7PM
Thursday, March 17, 11AM-1PM
Wednesday, April 6, 5-7PM
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