We are Family: Straight Talk for Clemson Parents

We are Family: Straight Talk for
Clemson Parents
 Jeff Brown, Associate Dean of Students, New Student and Family Programs
 Dr. Neil Burton, Executive Director, Center for Career and Professional Development
 Jennifer Goree, Director of Healthy Campus
 Dr. Kimberly Poole, Assistant Dean of Students
 Alesia Smith, Associate Dean of Students, Community and Ethical Standards

CLEMSON PARENTS AS PARTNERS

•   The Clemson Family

•   Your student’s satisfaction and success

•   Key first year challenges

•   How you – and we – can help

ISSUE #1
IT’S A BIG ADJUSTMENT

•   Separating from family/friends/hometown

•   Roommates/Communal living

•   Getting Connected

•   Freedom and Personal Responsibility

CLEMSON RESOURCES

•   New Student & Family Programs staff
•   Residential Life staff
•   Academic Advisors
•   Campus Life Entities: Gantt Center for Student Life (Student
    Organizations, Leadership Learning) – Peer Involvement
    Consultants (PICs); Campus Recreation, Campus Activities and
    Events, Fraternities and Sororities
•   Dean of Students Office
•   Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)
•   Online resources

YOU CAN HELP THEM ADJUST BY…

•   Staying in touch – moms are important but dads are too,
    especially for daughters!
    – Article: Parental Role in First-Year Students’ Emotional Well Being

•   Maintaining perspective
•   Listening more, Intervening less
•   Encouraging use of campus resources
•   Consulting campus resources yourself
•   Resisting the urge to fix it for them

ISSUE #2
A NEW LEVEL OF ACADEMIC RIGOR

 • Fall 2014 Freshman Class
    Average SAT       1253
    Top 10%            55%

 • Cumulative GPRs after Spring 2015
    3.4 - 4.0          41%
    3.0 - 3.39         26%
    2.0 - 2.99         27%
    < 1.99             6%

 • Retention to Second Year (2013 Cohort)
   92.4%

ISSUE #2 (CONT)
THE CHALLENGE OF MONITORING
PROGRESS

• Faster pace; fewer grades
• Individual professors give performance feedback
  in varying ways
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
  (FERPA)
• Proactive family communication plan
• New Student Academic Progress Program
  (NSAPP)

CLEMSON RESOURCES

•   Online Resources
    – Undergraduate Announcements
    – One Stop Website: http://www.registrar.clemson.edu/onestop/

•   Academic Success Center
    –   Success Skills Workshops, including Jump Start Workshops
    –   Tutoring
    –   Supplemental Instruction (SI)
    –   Personalized Academic Assistance (Counseling & Coaching)

•   Student Disability Services Office

•   Academic Advisors/Individual Professors

YOU CAN HELP THEM BE SUCCESSFUL
BY…

• Remembering that university studies are not like
  high school
• Promoting basic success behaviors (e.g. go to class,
  take notes, do homework [even if none assigned])
• Asking specific questions
• Coaching them through failures; Encouraging
  realism and accountability
• Familiarizing yourself with academic policies and
  regulations
• Pointing your student toward resources

ISSUE #3
MAJOR CHOICE AND CAREER DIRECTION

2014 National Freshman Attitudes Report:
 • I have a potential, attractive career in mind       77.6%
 • I have made a firm career decision                  61.6%

 • I am very confused about what occupation            22.4%
   to pursue

 • I would like some help selecting an occupation      51.2%
   that is well-suited to my interests and abilities

FOUR YEAR CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN

• Freshman
• Sophomore
• Junior
• Senior

ENGAGED LEARNING

• Clemson’s 2013-2014 First Destination Survey
   – 71% of all recent graduates reported having some form
    of engaged learning while at Clemson
   – Students with engaged learning experiences were 20%
    more likely to have accepted jobs at graduation
   – 35% of interns and co-op students reported accepting
    companies’ offers to convert to full-time employees
   – 850 on-campus internships in 2014-2015 (UPIC)

CLEMSON RESOURCES

•   Center for Career & Professional Development
    –   Career Inventories
    –   Career Counseling
    –   Co-op, Internships & Part-time Jobs
    –   Career Resource Center
    –   Parent Website: http://career.clemson.edu/parents

•   Creative Inquiry
    – www.clemson.edu/ci

•   Study Abroad Office
     – www.clemson.edu/studyabroad

•   College Support Services/Enrichment Centers

•   Academic Advisors/Individual Professors

YOU CAN HELP THEM REFINE CAREER
GOALS BY…

• Supporting career exploration
• Promoting engaged learning experiences
• Partnering during the process
• Encouraging use of campus resources
• Being open to innovative career paths
• Promoting skill development

ISSUE #4
PERSONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

•   Self-care: Eating, Sleeping, Exercise, Health
    Maintenance – physical and mental health

•   SAFE & Responsible Decision-Making
    • Where I go
    • Who I go with
    • What I do

•   Alcohol and Other Drugs (including prescription
    drugs)

•   Sexual Responsibility

THE FACTS ON ALCOHOL/DRUG USE AT
  CLEMSON

• Spring 2014 CU Freshmen Only

   •    Drank alcohol w/in last 30 days                                58%
   •    Drank > 5 drinks at one sitting w/in 2 weeks                   44%
   •    Drank > 5 drinks 6 or more times w/in 2 weeks                   6%

   •    Average # drinks consumed per week                               6*
   •    *Average number is 6 when excluding those who didn’t drink at all. Average
        drops to 3 when including those who did not drink at all.

   • Used Marijuana w/in last 30 days                                  15%
   • Used Marijuana 3x/week or more                                     8%
   • Used Amphetamines w/in last 30 days                                3%

Source:	
  
Core	
  Alcohol	
  and	
  Drug	
  Survey,	
  
Spring	
  2014	
  -­‐-­‐	
  CU	
  Responses	
  

RESULTS OF DRINKING REPORTED

   • Spring 2014 CU Freshmen Only
           • Had a memory loss                            39%
           • Did something I later regretted              44%
           • Missed class due to drinking/hangover        21%
           • Performed poorly on a test due to drinking   19%
           • Got in trouble with authorities              13%
           • Drove a car while under the influence        8%
           • Was taken advantage of sexually              9%

Source:	
  
Core	
  Alcohol	
  and	
  Drug	
  Survey,	
  
Spring	
  2014	
  -­‐-­‐	
  CU	
  Responses	
  

PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS REPORTED

Spring 2014 CU Freshmen Only
   • Believe campus is concerned about prevention        92%
   • My campus encourages me to help others in need      81%
   • Abide by alcohol and drug policies                  56%
   • Stay with the same group of friends the entire time you
     were drinking?
           • Most of the time or always                  49%
           • Don’t drink                                 37%
Source:	
  
Core	
  Alcohol	
  and	
  Drug	
  Survey,	
  
Spring	
  2014	
  -­‐-­‐	
  CU	
  Responses	
  

SEXUAL RESPONSIBILITY

• How many of you have heard of Title IX?

• How many of you have heard of Title IX over the past
  year as it relates to sexual victimization on University
  campuses?

• Why is there such an increased focus on sexual
  victimization?
               • Women	
  and	
  girls	
  are	
  the	
  vast	
  majority	
  of	
  vic5ms:	
  	
  	
  Nearly	
  1	
  in	
  5	
  women	
  
                 –	
  or	
  nearly	
  22	
  million	
  –	
  have	
  been	
  raped	
  	
  in	
  their	
  life9mes.	
  	
  
               • Men	
  and	
  boys,	
  however,	
  are	
  also	
  at	
  risk:	
  1	
  in	
  71	
  men	
  –	
  or	
  almost	
  1.6	
  
                 million	
  –	
  have	
  been	
  raped	
  during	
  their	
  lives	
  
	
  	
  	
  
Source:	
  	
  Report	
  from	
  The	
  White	
  House	
  Council	
  on	
  Women	
  and	
  Girls,	
  January	
  2014	
  

SEXUAL RESPONSIBILITY- WHAT WE
    KNOW

•    Most victims know their assailants.

•    The vast majority (nearly 98%) of perpetrators are
     male.

•    Repeat victimization is common: Over a third of women
     who were raped as minors were also raped as adults.

•    Young people are especially at risk: Nearly half of female
     survivors were raped before they were 18, and over one-
     quarter of male survivors were raped before they were 10.

Source:	
  	
  Report	
  from	
  The	
  White	
  House	
  Council	
  on	
  Women	
  and	
  Girls,	
  January	
  2014	
  

SEXUAL RESPONSIBILITY- WHAT WE
KNOW

720 first-year female Clemson University students participated in a
study funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted by
faculty in Public Health Sciences and Redfern Health Center.

•   Approximately 20% of first-year women at Clemson University
    experience some type of sexual victimization:
         o 15% experienced unwanted sexual contact
         o 5% experienced sexual coercion
         o 5% experienced attempted rape
         o 3% experienced completed rape
•   Alcohol was involved two out of three times
•   Most women knew the offender

For more information about the study, contact the principal investigator, Dr.
Martie Thompson. She may be reached at: mpthomp@clemson.edu.

SEXUAL RESPONSIBILITY- WHAT WE
KNOW

• College-aged students are particularly vulnerable

• WHY?
  • Increased alcohol use
  • Decreased structure
  • Peer influences
  • Dating patterns

SEXUAL RESPONSIBILITY- WHAT WE ARE
 DOING

• Compliance+ with all federal requirements
• We know incidents of sexual assault are
  underreported
• Focusing on education and prevention
   – CONSENT is key
   – Importance of Bystander Intervention
• Support for both complainants and respondents
   – Advocates for both

CLEMSON RESOURCES

• Redfern Health Center
   • Medical Services
   • Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)
   • Healthy Campus
• Required educational programs (Think About It; OCES
  online tutorial; Aspire)
• Residential Life Staff
• Dean of Students Office
• CUPD; Fire & EMS
• Office of Community and Ethical Standards
• Office of Access and Equity

YOU CAN HELP THEM STAY HEALTHY AND
    SAFE BY…

•   Talk to them about their experience with Think About It and
    OCES tutorial
•   Stay in touch, especially during critical first six weeks of the
    semester, and promote balanced living
•   Empower them to make healthy choices
•   Encourage safety awareness
•   Arrange, in advance, for continued preventive treatments
•   Discuss privacy laws and family communications with them
•   Provide health insurance coverage
•   Supporting CU community standards

SUMMARY TIPS FOR PARENTS

• Maintain perspective
• Communication is KEY!
  • LISTEN
  • Revisit expectations
  • BE THE PARENT THEY CAN CALL
• Use resources (refer your student to resource
  and/or consult yourself)
• Resist the urge to rescue

PARENT AND FAMILY RESOURCES

http://www.clemson.edu
http://www.clemson.edu/parents/index.html
Suggested Readings

   Letting Go: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding the College Years
   by Karen Levin Coburn & Madge Lawrence Treeger

   You’re On Your Own (But I’m Here If You Need Me) by Marjorie
   Savage

   Preparing for College: Practical Advice for Students and Their
   Families by John J. Rooney, John F. Reardon & Katherine Haley Will

   Helicopters, Drill Sergeants & Consultants: Parenting Styles and the
   Messages They Send by Jim Fay

CONTACT US

Jeff Brown – brownj@clemson.edu
Associate Dean of Students, New Student and Family Programs

Dr. Neil Burton, boneil@clemson.edu
Executive Director, Center for Career and Professional Development

Jennifer Goree, goree@clemson.edu
Director of Healthy Campus

Dr. Kimberly Poole, poole6@clemson.edu
Assistant Dean of Students

Alesia Smith, alesias@clemson.edu
Associate Dean of Students, Community and Ethical Standards