Campus Life

While your child may be eager to visit colleges to check out the dorms, the study and athletic facilities, the food and the social atmosphere, what shouldn't be overlooked is the level of security provided on campus. Most high school students would not rate this as one of their primary concerns when considering which college to attend, which is why it is often up to their parents to ask important questions about the safety of where their children may be spending the next several years.

Fall 2013 student move-in has already begun at some colleges (and is rapidly approaching elsewhere). Many more students are moving into apartments or homes near campuses nationwide.

Despite the requirement to disclose accurate crime statistics and potential fines of $35,000 per report violation, it appears that 30 years after the death of Jeanne Clery colleges and universities continue to struggle to comply with providing accurate crime reports. In fact, this past November the American Association of University Women (AAUW) published an alarming report that concludes that ninety-one percent of the nation’s colleges have told the federal government there were no rapes reported on their campuses in 2014. In contrast to other reports that indicate sexual assault rates of women may reach as high as 21%, AAUW correctly concludes that this analysis of campus reported data “defies reality.”

   photo from flickr user Michael Theis  

College orientations vary in style and substance from college to college, but most have an overriding goal in mind: to prepare your student for success.That is something to keep in mind throughout the college years. Colleges and universities really want your student to have a fulfilling higher education experience, and to graduate on time.Orientations are when your family’s relationship with your chosen institution starts, and so it is important for both sides in the new relationship to take this event seriously and to try to learn as much from it as possible.