http://www.jmu.edu/parents/

http://www.jmu.edu/registrar/FERPAOutline.shtml

http://www.jmu.edu/healthctr/healthrecord.shtml

http://www.jmu.edu/healthctr/

James Madison University - Index

James Madison University - Madison Family Connection Summer 2009 - Index

Madison Family Connection newsletter
The JMU Madison Family Connection e-newsletter is informative ... it’s helpful ... and it’s
FREE. Sign up today. You can register your e-mail address at www.jmu.edu/parents/. The
newsletter will keep JMU parents and families informed of payment due dates, campus events,
vacation and break schedules, deadline reminders and tips for student success.
If you would prefer to have the newsletter mailed to you, please e-mail your student’s name and
home address to kitetl@jmu.edu, or call at (540) 568-3193 or toll free at (866) 399-8432.
a time of transition
We realize that sending students to college is a
time of tremendous transition for your family.
All students go through an adjustment period
and experience many ups and downs while living
away from home. There are many resources
here on campus available for students to manage
this transition successfully.
While we do welcome parent input and questions,
our goal is to deal directly with the student.
Parents, we share your goal, to help students be
successful, and we want to connect you to the
resources you need to support your student.
It is important that students have support and
encouragement from home while being allowed
to mature through their own experiences. By all
means, be there for your students as a sounding
board, but let them handle their own problems as
much as possible. Student success is dependent
upon their ability to function independently.
Last–Minute Advice
All across the country, as bright July days fade
into sweltering August nights, parents of college-bound
freshmen lie awake perspiring with
dread as much as with the heat: “Can he balance
a checkbook?” “What will she do if she gets
sick?” “I don’t think she understands how much
trouble she can get into for underage drinking.”
You only have a few more weeks to pass along
all the advice your child needs to know. How will
you cover it all, and what happens if you forget to
mention something important?
There are things your student needs to know for
the purely practical demands of coping with life
in a new situation. There are things we want you
to discuss with your child. There are even a few
things your child would appreciate hearing from
you. The trick is to figure out when you’re offering
useful information as opposed to unwanted
advice or an index of admonishments.
While parents are intimately involved in their
children’s education from pre-school through 12th
grade, as their child goes to college the parents
role begins to change. This role change is greatly
contributed to the Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act. According to FERPA, college
students are considered responsible adults and
are allowed to determine who will receive information
about them. For further details regarding
F E R PA , p l e a s e v i s i t t h e R e g i s t r a r ’s We b s i t e a t
www.jmu.edu/registrar/FERPAOutline.shtml.
HIGH SCHOOL VS. JMU COMPARISON
High School
w Parents receive student
academic progress
reports
w Parents receive attendance
notifications
w Parents receive
notifications of disciplinary
actions
w Parents and/or
teachers may request a
teacher conference
w Parents may pick
up the students’ missed
assignments
w Parents may request
extended deadlines
w Parents receive notification
if the student
owes money
JMU
w Only authorized
parents may receive
academic records
w Students are
resposible for class
attendance; no parent
notifications
w For students 21; parents
receive notification
of any major offence,
any two minor offenses,
or further offenses after
found “responsible” by
the University Judicial
System.
w Students request
conferences with professors
or advisers
w Students are
responsible for missed
assignments
w Students must
request extended
deadlines
w Only authorized
parents may receive
specific information
about student accounts
(FERPA waiver).
Unauthorized parents
may only receive general
information
Health tips from
the University
Health Center
The University Health Center
partners with students to
encourage personal responsibility
for their well-being by
providing primary care and
education in a professional
and collaborative manner.
The clinical staff includes
phsicians, nurse practitioners,
nurses and a certified
medical technologist.
Along with general health
care, the clinic provides an
allergy clinic, immunizations,
gynecology and a laboratory.
Health educators, counselors,
and a nutritionist are a part of
the staff, which coordinates
university–wide health programs
and provides counseling
and crisis intervention.
A l l s t ude nt s w ho a r e
enrolled for at least one credit
hour and who have paid the
student health fee (included
in the university’s comprehensive
fee with tuition)
are eligible for services. To
receive services, all eligible
students must have a completed
Health Record on file
at the University Health Center.
Students can complete
the health record form online
at www.jmu.edu/healthctr/
healthrecord.shtml and send
to James Madison University
Health Center, MSC 7901,
Harrisonburg, VA 22807. For
additional information on
health services, please visit
www.jmu.edu/healthctr/.
First-Aid tips
Students should keep a firstaid
kit in their room with:
• a thermometer
• adhesive bandages
• gauze bandages
• antibiotic ointment
• adhesive tape
• tweezers
• a reusable hot/cold pack
• pain/fever reducer
• anti-inflammatory meds
• antihistamine
• decongestant
• antacid
• sore throat spray/lozenges
• cough medicine
• any prescription medica–
tions
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