Dear Parents,
The last month of school will be stressful for students. Tests, projects, and papers pile up which means each day is valuable on the path to end of the year. Along with finals, students have to pack up and say goodbye to newly-made close friends. Moving back home for the summer may be difficult for some. Finding jobs, reconnecting with high school friends, and settling back into home life can be a tough adjustment from school.
Summer can bring its own level of stress. Friends who are going separate ways may be trying to find ways to meet over the summer break. However, some students may find this difficult under monetary or time constraints. Again, being supportive of your student may be just what they need. Offer ideas and suggestions if requested, but also remind them that not all plans may be fulfilled. Students may not get time off from work to do the things they want. Overall, just reassure your student that things will work out.
Recently, students registered for classes for Fall 2018. This may have been a very stressful time, especially if they had trouble getting into some of the classes they wanted. When students come home, make sure you remind them that things will work out and they can call the Shepard Academic Resource Center if they need to discuss their options. They can always add the class during the add/drop period in the Fall or try again Spring semester (add/drop occurs during the first week of each semester). Also, consider summer courses; however, if they take the classes somewhere other than UP, they should get the class pre-approved by their school or it may not count for credit at UP.
The Office of Financial Aid has asked us to remind families and continuing students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.gov. The FAFSA application must be completed annually for access to most types of financial aid. The priority processing date to receive FAFSAs was January 15. If you missed the priority processing date, you can still submit your FAFSA application, which will be processed in the order received. If your family has experienced a reduction of income or job loss that is not accurately reflected on the FAFSA application (which reflects 2016 income information), please contact the Office of Financial Aid to inquire about the possibility of a special circumstance appeal at finaid@up.edu or 503-943-7311. More information about special circumstance appeals can be found in the 2018-2019 Financial Aid Handbook.
One other note: Founders Day. Founders Day is a day in the spring of the academic year when the University pauses in its normal routine to recognize the vision of its founders by celebrating the work of its current students. Normal classes are not held this year on April 10th, as we convene in different formats to listen to our outstanding seniors present research projects they have pursued. Please encourage your student to attend at least some of the presentations. Rather than viewing this as a day off from school, students are encouraged to see it as another way of learning: from their peers. And who knows? Your student just might be presenting in a few years, so gaining insights from this year’s presentations may aid in defining a future research project.
Although this is the last parent newsletter coming from the Shepard Academic Resource Center, we are happy to announce that UP recently created the Office of Parent Relations which is committed to keeping you up to date with the latest news, events, opportunities to get involved, and resources to best support your student during their time on The Bluff. As the new Office of Parent Relations gets up and running, we encourage you to keep an eye on the updated parent's website and keep UP updated with your latest contact information by filling out the parent information form. As this academic year comes to an end, we want to take the opportunity to let you know it has been a pleasure getting to know so many of you and your students this year. It’s hard to believe Orientation was eight months ago! As we begin the process of wrapping up this year (and looking to the next), we would love to hear your thoughts on how the year went. What do you wish you knew when your student started at the University of Portland? What tips do you have for next year’s freshmen parents? To gather this feedback, we have created a short survey - we welcome and appreciate all of your thoughts!
Sincerely,
Brenda Greiner
Director, Shepard Academic Resource Center
