If , as a parent or legal guardian of a current Brown undergraduate student, you did not receive this email message, please encourage your student to ensure the parent/guardian address information in their Banner record is up to date and includes email address. Only students may enter information into their Banner selfservice.
June 26, 2017
Dear Parents of the Class of 2021:
Welcome to the Brown University community, where we want you to feel at home! We are writing now, in the middle of the summer, to tell you a bit more about the academic, social, and cultural resources your student can expect to find at Brown.
As you know, Brown’s open curriculum ensures that students have the freedom to direct the course of their own education. But we also expect students to be open to new ideas, new people, and new experiences that will enable them to chart the broadest possible journey. We consider you our partners in this effort, supporting your students’ intellectual and social development as they become responsible adults.
Throughout the summer, your student will receive regular emails pointing out activities and forms that need to be completed. These emails will be posted on our Orientation website under Preparing for Brown. We invite you to read these emails to help students keep track of important deadlines related to course selection, academic advising, and housing. The website also contains two publications that have been included in Summer Mailings—Guide to Brown and Planning Your Liberal Education—that explain Brown’s curriculum and the many offices that support students in and out of the classroom. We hope you will read these publications, too, so that you can help your student take full advantage of our many-faceted learning environment.
The Orientation website, of course, also includes information about our on-campus Orientation and pre-Orientation programs. All first-year students are expected to move into their residence halls Saturday, September 2; Orientation begins that evening. For international students on F-1 visas, there is a longer international orientation program that begins on Wednesday, August 30, and focuses not only on immigration and visa policies but also academic life and culture in the United States.
If you plan to travel to Providence with your student, we encourage you to attend the special sessions we have planned for parents during Orientation or International Orientation. In the Orientation schedules, sessions for parents are denoted with a (P); these events will give you a chance to speak with faculty members and deans, interact with other parents, and learn more about life on College Hill. If you cannot be here, please be assured that a host of students, faculty, and staff will be on hand to support your student’s transition to college and to Brown.
We’ve enclosed with this letter an overview of the academic year. Please consult this calendar or the academic calendar on the Registrar's website when making travel arrangements for your student. Exams are scheduled long before the semester begins, and thus cannot be changed to accommodate individual travel plans. The last day of final exams this fall is Thursday, December 21, 2017. If you need to purchase travel tickets for the winter break, please do so with this date in mind. As a parent, you may also be interested in the information about campus transportation, services, and safety available on the Safety at Brown website.
Finally, you should know that you will hear from us regularly over the next four years: you can expect to receive more letters like this one and newsletters, along with a copy of the Brown Alumni Magazine. Our parents’ website—at www.brown.edu/parents—describes the services and opportunities available to students and ways that you can support your student’s learning. If you are able to join us on campus, Family Weekend this year is scheduled for October 13-15, 2017. In the meantime we send you our warmest welcome as you join the Brown family.
Sincerely yours,
Maud S. Mandel
Dean of the College
Eric S. Estes
Vice President, Campus Life & Student Services