DFW Trojans - The USC Alumni Club of North Texas

Staying Sane with a Student in Southern Cal with Help from the Parent Liaison

Having a child leave for college is difficult. And if your child is attending a school that’s located halfway across the country, the experience can be downright depressing. If you’re like most parents, your reaction to the news that your child had been accepted to USC was that of jubilation chased with a heavy dose of anxiety.

Many parents of first-time college students face a bevy of common questions, such as: How often will I see my child? How will he or she fare in school without my immediate oversight? What happens if I can’t let go?

This is why we have created the office of a local USC Parent Liasion. The function of this office will be to provide solid answers to many of the tough questions commonly asked by first-time USC parents, help guide parents and students through the freshman year and serve as a general sounding board for all of our local parents.

The 2010-11 USC Parent Liaison:

Lee and Michele Loewenstein have graciously volunteered as our official parent liaisons. Please contact them with any questions you may have concerning your new role as parent of a USC Trojan.

Contact Information

Lee and Michele Loewenstein

Click here for contact information

STEP 1: You’re Not Alone

Thousands of parents across the country are facing the prospect that their child is attending college out of state.

STEP 2: Remember Core
Values

You’ve spent 18 years instilling your beliefs into your child. Be confident he’ll take those values to college.

STEP 3: Acknowledge
Separation Anxiety

Realize that your child may be emotional a few weeks before going away to school. It’s just part of the separation process.

STEP 4: Communicate

Set up an unlimited-minutes cell phone plan so you can keep in touch any time of the day or night. You don’t want to have to wait until 9 p.m. to talk to your child, especially if it’s
late where he is.

STEP 5: Say Cheese

Consider buying a webcam system so you can have video calls via the Internet and actually see each other while talking.

STEP 6: Don’t Rush It

It may be difficult to spend time in your child’s room. Don’t worry. You’ve got plenty of time to straighten it up later.

STEP 7: Success

Congratulate yourself on your child’s ability to be independent. That means you’ve done an excellent job of being there from the beginning! Children you can’t separate from rarely know whether they can make it on their own.

HOME > PARENTS

Office for Parent Programs

Additionally, USC has a wonderful Office for Parent Programs which provides a multitude of informative articles, advice and other general information concerning parents and new students.

USC believes that parental support aids student success. With that in mind, USC established the Office for Parent Programs to help parents support their child’s USC experience. Whether it is inspiring your daughter to take on a leadership position in a campus organization or sending your son a reminder of his financial aid deadline, studies show that parental involvement increases the chances that a college student will graduate and be successful.

We hope you’ll take full advantage of the services and resources that the Office for Parent Programs provides. It is a one stop resource for Trojan parents, with services that include responding to inquiries and producing informative publications. The goals of the Office for Parent Programs include:

•Fostering parent relationships with the university
•Providing opportunities for parent involvement in the Trojan Family
•Distributing information on college student development and trends
•Communicating regularly with parents through responses to inquiries, email, newsletters, and the USC parents website.

The vision of the Office for Parent Programs is to fully integrate Trojan parents into the university community. It offers many opportunities for parents to become involved on campus as a volunteer, seminar attendee, or active member in the Parents Council, the governing body of the Parents Association. If you would like to volunteer for upcoming campus events or have suggestions to share, please contact the Office for Parent Programs. USC welcomes your participation and enthusiasm, and we look forward to meeting you!

>Click here for additional information

OFFICE OF THE PARENT LIAISON

Parents

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