Ohio University undergraduate students moved into on-campus housing less than two weeks ago, and for many, this is the first time they are away from home. With the change comes fear and anxiety from both parents and students – a struggle the university is looking to ease.
According to OU’s First-Year and Student Transitions website, the university is committed to promoting academic, social and personal engagement in the community, and ensuring continual improvement in the quality of the first-year experience.
Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life Jneanne Hacker wrote in an email that the university accomplishes this goal by offering various resources and services, such as the "Let’s Talk Hours" and full-time residential staff, to foster a safe and comfortable living experience.
“Housing and Residence Life remains committed to further investing into our residential portfolio and supporting student safety and security,” Hacker wrote. “From improving the lighting on South Green to enhancing crosswalks at high traffic areas, we continually invest into improving safety and welcome feedback from our campus community.”
According to university spokesperson Alex Semancik, the university works closely with safety organizations such as the Ohio University Police Department and the Emergency Management Team, as well as recreational opportunities such as Bobcat Connect and the Keeping Bobcats Informed newsletter.
This open line of communication, along with financial aid and a successful engineering program, helped ease the concerns of first-time college parent Kari Klaserner.
“I feel like (my daughter is) ready, and she's excited, so that makes it easier, but it just changes my whole, like, family structure … I feel waves of emotion,” Klaserner said. “I wouldn't say I have anxieties or worries. So far, everybody's been very accommodating.”
Klaserner’s sentiments are not shared by all parents, however. Jill Pax, parent of a first-year Bobcat, said moving her last child into college made her nervous.
“Well, (our first college student) was a boy, so that's a lot easier,” Pax said. “Concerns here, as she's a girl, (is) just the safety (of) campus.”
Pax emphasized the importance of doing your best to stay safe and healthy and speaking up if you need help. Like Klaserner, Pax noted the welcome her family received during move-in day was soothing during the stressful time.
Regarding students' role in their own safety, Hacker recommends implementing strategies such as locking bedroom doors, walking with friends around campus, getting to know RAs, and becoming familiar with campus resources and reporting tools.
Resident advisers, or RAs, are students who live in the residence halls with a set group of underclassmen. According to Hacker, they create safe and inclusive environments where students find comfort, offer in-hall and green-based programs that help students form meaningful connections and offer opportunities for students to contribute to the residential experience by getting involved – another set of common college concerns.
“Resident Assistants also provide a level of support, serve as mentors, and help students get connected to campus resources that promote student success such as academic advisors and tutoring as well as resources that promote well-being and support mental health such as Psychological and Counseling Services,” Hacker wrote.
Avery Kumes, an RA in Gamertsfelder Hall, said it can be a difficult job, but ultimately, it's rewarding. She said many topics she covered in RA training were about these common parent and student concerns.
“That's one of the reasons I really like working in a dorm with a learning experience built into it,” Kumes said. “We have honors students on my floor, and that really helps alleviate some of those anxieties because those students know coming into this building that they are going to have people who are in the same boat as them.”
Kumes added that ensuring a safe and welcoming living environment where students can thrive is both a priority and a passion.
“We're not here to be parents, but in some ways, we do fill a parent role, especially for the freshmen,” Kumes said. “Sometimes it's just as simple as being someone who knows your name or where you're from that can put people at ease being so far away from their parents.”
