College Preparedness: The Crucial Role of the Parent by Katiera Sordjan

Going to college brings many changes for students. Not only are they expected to succeed academically, but young men and women must also learn to balance their schoolwork, social life, and extracurricular activities, mostly without their parents' direct supervision and guidance. While this newfound freedom is largely welcomed, the adjustment to college can be challenging and lead to unexpected problems that can interfere with a student's ability to do well. As a child transitions from high school to college, it is very important for parents and guardians to have honest conversations with students about what this next phase of their academic careers will bring.  

Facilitating the transition to college starts considerably early. As a child enters his or her teen years, parents must instill a sense of responsibility in their children. Someone who has their mother or father doing all of their laundry and managing their schedules will probably find themselves in a precarious situation come freshman year. Children who take on more active roles in their household have a much stronger understanding of the adult responsibilities expected of them when they leave for school.

A big topic that needs to be tackled when preparing for college is personal safety. High school graduates who go off to schools away from home, especially in a different type of setting (i.e. someone from a small town attending college in a large city) may find maneuvering in their new environment without adult guidance to be stressful at best. Students should be highly aware of their surroundings, and parents need to stress precautions such as locking dorm rooms, keeping valuables protected, and traveling with friends, particularly at night. A person who is not constantly mindful of those around them are much easier to take advantage of by strangers or even classmates. 

One of the key components of safety has to do with interactions with other students. Many new college enrollees will find themselves in situations such as large parties for the first time, bereft of the constant watchful eye of their parents. Mothers and fathers must have these conversations in such a way that will be most helpful to their child. When discussing matters such as sex and drugs, an abstinent-only policy will not work. It will only leave a student confused on how to handle a situation when faced with it. Parents should remember when they were in their children's shoes. Their son or daughter is no longer a young kid and will encounter very adult scenarios when away at school. Talking to students openly about sex entails conversations about protection and consent, as well as handling unwanted advances. Many girls for example, will go off to college and be sexually harassed and/or assaulted, but not consider these crimes as anything more serious than general discomfort, and may even blame themselves for the attack. If this conversation is not easy, a parent could enlist the help of a teacher or counselor. But the small amount of awkwardness between adult and child is minuscule when compared to the potential consequences. In the same notion, kids should be aware of drugs, particularly alcohol. Most students will come across substance use on their campuses, many for the first time, and will need to be prepared. Many college freshmen end up hospitalized during their first weeks of school because they took their new liberties a little too far, and were not well informed on the outcomes of their actions. There will be those students who never use drugs or drink. But instead of the simple "drugs are bad and don't do them" speech, parents must make sure their children understand what to do in college situations regarding substance use. For example, avoiding pre-mixed drinks in favor of closed bottles or cans at parties is important. Spiking drinks or making them stronger than the drinker can handle often leads to dangerous situations such as overdose and rape. With that being said, the connection between sex and drugs is important to understand. A high person cannot legally give consent to sexual activity, and drinking and/or using drugs without the supervision of trusted friends can lead to a very unsafe environment.

While it often brings back memories of uncomfortable middle school lectures, parents should make sure their children understand peer pressure. It will play a much greater role in college than ever before, and more often than not parents will not be around to check these external influences. Peer pressure goes even beyond drinking and sex, and can be as seemingly benign as skipping a homework assignment to go out with friends. While it may seem tempting in the moment, these instances of avoiding work can quickly lead to falling far behind in class. 

Even when a student goes off to college and begins their undergraduate studies, one of the most important things a parent can do is keep an open line of communication with their kids. They will naturally want their space from Mom and Dad and not feel constantly bothered by calls and messages, but in the long run will appreciate having their parents' support. Too often are college students afraid of bringing up new problems and concerns with their parents for fear of harsh judgement or ostracism, and loved ones will often find out too late when there is a serious issue. A parent should remain authoritative, but stress that they are there to support their child in whatever way they can.   

Conversations such as these are loaded, and not easy, but are crucial in helping make college the best experience that it can be for a young adult. Growing up can be difficult and stressful enough, and to remain a stellar student while juggling all of life's ups and downs can seem almost impossible. But a parent, since infancy, is there to guide and nurture us to become successful, happy adults. Keeping college students healthy and safe begins before they even step foot on campus, and a strong support system from the start of freshman year will ensure they not only complete their degree, but leave college with a wealth of good experiences. 

Students Should Speak Up by Benedictine University blogger Karly

It is a scary topic. Most people feel uncomfortable when it is brought up but the truth of the matter is it has to be talked about. College students rarely discuss the issue of sexual assaults on campuses. Being a college student myself, I will admit that it is a very difficult topic to grasp because the reality is that unfortunate incidents of sexual assaults do happen on college campuses. However, most of us do not realize that it is really up to us to make a difference to prevent assaults from happening in the future. Here are a few ways that college students can get involved to help prevent sexual assaults on campus.

Increase male participation- In my personal opinion I feel that more girls than guys at colleges are aware of the topic of sexual assaults and how to prevent them from happening. If more boys were aware of the outcomes that assaults cause on the victims I feel that they will hopefully get more involved and spread the word of awareness.

Don’t get involved with the wrong people- We can only do so much to try and prevent sexual assaults from happening at college, but unfortunately it still does happen so the most important thing to do is to be smart and don’t make bad choices or put yourself into sticky situations and hopefully this wil be the biggest aspect in preventing sexual assault.

Be more than a Bystander - Don’t be afraid to speak up. I know that it can be really hard if someone that you are close to or are friends with is a victim of sexual assault but in the long run it will benefit them if you SPEAK UP and tell someone that can do something about it so that it does not happen again.

If the unfortunate incident of a sexual assault occurs on a college campus students should make the victim feel comfortable, giving them a safe environment.  

Women's History on Campus by Bradley University blogger Ashley

The women’s rights movement has come a long way on college campuses. There was a time when girls and boys didn’t attend the same school, as formal education was seen as more important for boys. Girls were expected to learn domestic duties from their mothers and tend to the household, so many young women learned to read and write at home rather than attend a “dame school”.  Even in higher education, women had very few choices when it came to majors or vocations. They had to attend female seminaries that only provided the option to learn “ladylike” skills rather than the formal, academic training provided to males. Most women would go on to become teachers, as that was one of the few acceptable occupations, and only unmarried women could become teachers.

Salem College- "oldest female educational establishment that's still a women's college"

Photo by Marilyn Hayes

Fast forward to today- women account for the majority of undergraduate students in higher education. At co-ed institutions, women are able to attend the same classes and pursue the same majors as males. There are increasingly more women joining the teaching force of higher education, proving how hard they worked to get their Master’s and Doctorate degrees in such a male-dominated industry. Women hold higher administrative positions, including the highest position of President (or the equivalent at other institutions).  Female students are able to join pretty much any student organization they desire, except for the obvious traditional male fraternities and other social groups catered to men (mostly due to the fact that they have the word “men” in the title). While males have some of their own groups, females have their own as well- on my campus, we have various sororities and a unity group for women of color.

I had an English professor a few years ago who wouldn’t allow anyone to address her by any title less than Doctor. “I worked very hard to get my PhD, so it is disrespectful for you to reduce my achievement by calling me ‘Mrs.’ or anything like that,” she said during our first class period. A male student went on to call her Admiral sometimes, and she accepted that since that was an upgrade in her eyes.

Even with all of the seemingly equal opportunities for women on college campuses, there are still an overwhelming amount of male professors at your traditional university. As someone who will be graduating in less than two months, I can confidently say that about 80% of my professors have been male. I’ve had on average one female professor per semester, and I take 4-5 classes per semester. There are still men (professors, department heads, and students alike) who make misogynistic and sexist comments in class and boldly at the face of women. The tenured men can’t be fired unless grievances are filed, regardless if many people heard the comments publicly or not. So many people let these comments pass by saying, “Well, they’re old and senile anyway” or “They’ll retire soon enough” or “Just get through the class and you’ll never have to take another class with them ever again” and the like. So many people have the attitude that just because these men come from a different generation and era that it is okay for them to make these comments because you can’t change the ways of older adults.

As I stated earlier, women’s rights on campuses have come a long way, but we still have a ways to go until we reach a truly equal status on the majority of campuses across the nation.

Photo from USA Today

"Awareness is Key" by blogger Allisyn Ruttle from Pitzer College

Something happened on my campus this semester. Something created a buzz that’s still sending us into a frame of mind never before seen.

We all received our first sexual assault notification email from administration a few months back. Everyone talked about it. It gave no explicit detail, just simply when and where and guidelines for how to prevent it in the future. We were all surprised. Why hadn’t we been notified of these situations before? Why now?

The emails kept coming. Notifications of sexual violence came flooding into my inbox. Now, we see at least 1 per weekend, if not 2-3.

Students became passionately outraged, posing various, impulsive questions:

“Why are there so many sexual assaults happening on campus now?”

“Who is responsible? Students? People in the community?”

“What about our campus culture has changed to invite such behavior on such a regular basis?”

Here is the thing, though. It took me just as long as everyone else to see through my own concern to reach the harsh truth. These emails don’t indicate a sudden burst of sexually violent activity. Cases have been that frequent all along, and it used to be so easy to blind ourselves from the truth. Now that administration is making all of us aware, we can’t help but become actively concerned. We can’t help but stand up and fight.

The results of the awareness-spreading emails, as sad as they are to read, have been astonishing. Three of the five Claremont Colleges now have legitimate advocate groups in support of survivors, and they all meet more often than they ever have before. Initiatives like the growing “Yes Means Yes” campaign are making way, and the general student body is excited to engage in the support of survivors and prevention of sexual violence on the campus they call home.

Survivors themselves have also been affected by the rise of awareness. Discussions and support groups have reached a pinnacle in attendance. They feel more proactive with reporting their cases, because they know the powers that be are taking some sort of initiative to do something about it, even if it is just a simple email with no detail.  For the first time, something is being done to encourage survivors to move forward, and I could not be more proud of my campus.