For Parents and Families
We consider you, the family, an integral part of the collegiate experience. That’s why Day One, Saturday, August 30, of FUSION: New Student Orientation is Family Fusion. The day is designed with your needs in mind; for families and guests who are supporting a student through the college journey. EMU welcomes families and guests; however, there are no special services available for children during this program.
Day 1 – Saturday, August 30
It’s all about becoming part of the EMU family. In the morning, residential students move into their residence hall while commuter students enjoy a program designed especially for them and their families. During the morning, a variety of University business services as well as hospitality services will be on hand to assist you. To kick-off the afternoon, we enjoy a family picnic together with many EMU staff and faculty members. We then offer a rich array of sessions for family members to answer your questions about financial aid, who's teaching courses, first-year success and much more. We conclude the family portion of Orientation with a special convocation ceremony. At the close of the Convocation, families and students say their fond farewells and family members will depart for home. Students remain on campus and form their Orientation small groups and learn what’s in store for the remainder of their program.
To view a PDF of the entire FUSION detailed schedule including descriptions and locations of sessions.
GREAT REFERENCES FOR FAMILY MEMBERS
- MyFy
- College and Parents
- Parents
- College Board
- Commuter
- Public Safety
- FAFSA
- Financial Aid
MyFy - Short for My First-Year Information, MyFY is a collection of tips and advice easy-to-incorporate into a college schedule and specific to Eastern Michigan University. The site offers students honest answers about college expectations and provides helpful information for parents and family members dealing with the change of having a student enter college. There are also downloadable audio files briefly covering essential information on MyFY. For everything from students struggling with time management or looking for ways to fill down-time on-campus, to parents and family members seeking advice about relating to a new college student, MyFY is a perfect resource for all!
A website that includes a “free one-stop shop for vital information and guidance leading to and through college.”
A wonderful resource page that includes links to Financial Aid, Housing, The Holman Learning Center and more. This page also includes a useful link to tuition and fees and a Financial Aid Comparison Calculator.
Includes information for parents and families on how to search for scholarships (and avoid scams) and tips and ideas on how to pay for college.
A resource and guide for families who have commuter students.
The official Eastern Michigan University website for information on EMU’s Department of Public Safety and Parking. This website also includes information on order parking hangtags, crime statistics and police advisories.
Your guide and resource for completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online and answering any questions you may have regarding Federal aid for college.
A page you will want to bookmark! Get answers to your questions regarding Financial Aid, loans, College Work Study, payment schedules and more!
Books to consider for Families and Parents
- Let the Journey Begin: A Parent's Monthly Guide to the College Experience (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002)
- Jacqueline Kiernan MacKay and Wanda Johnson Ingram.
- Letting Go: A Parent's Guide to Understanding the College Years (Perennial)
- Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger
- I'll Miss You Too: A Parent and Student Guide to Opening Doors and Staying Connected During the College Years
- Margo E. Bane Woodacre and Steffany Bane (Sourcebooks Inc., 2005)
- You're on Your Own (But I'm Here if You Need Me): Mentoring Your Child During the College Years
- Marjorie Savage (Fireside Press, 2003)
- Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds (Harvard University Press, 2001)
- Richard J. Light.
- And if that’s not enough, we recommend checking out the Parent Suggested Reading list
Common Reading Experience
During Fast Track, your student received (or will receive when they attend) the non-fiction, memoir book titled Autobiography of a Face, by Lucy Grealy.
What is a Common Reading Experience?
Common Reading Experiences are programs where groups of individuals read a common book and then have multiple opportunities to discuss and otherwise process the book throughout the school year. A common reading experience is designed to contribute to the retention of new students by building a sense of community among students, faculty, and staff through a common experience, to encourage participation in the intellectual life of campus in a stimulating and interactive way, and to increase the development of necessary college skills in critical reading and reflection.
We highly encourage you to read this book and engage in conversation with your student. Not only is it a great way to open lines of communication between you and your student, but it helps your student to begin thinking about the book and how it will become part of their intellectual experience at EMU!
Summary of Autobiography of a Face:(afterword by Anne Patchett)
"I spent five years of my life being treated for cancer, but since then I've spent fifteen years being treated for nothing other than looking different from everyone else. It was the pain from that, from feeling ugly, that I always viewed as the great tragedy of my life. The fact that I had cancer seemed minor in comparison."At age nine, Lucy Grealy was diagnosed with a potentially terminal cancer. When she returned to school with a third of her jaw removed, she faced the cruel taunts of classmates. In this strikingly candid memoir, Grealy tells her story of great suffering and remarkable strength without sentimentality and with considerable wit. Vividly portraying the pain of peer rejection and the guilty pleasures of wanting to be special, Grealy captures with unique insight what it is like as a child and young adult to be torn between two warring impulses: to feel that more than anything else we want to be loved for who we are, while wishing desperately and secretly to be perfect.
For more information on EMU’s Common Reading Experience, goals and book selection criteria please visit common reading experience