10 Ways to Stay in Touch

1. Send newspaper clippings from the hometown paper to your student's residence hall mailbox. Everyone loves "real" mail--and this will help keep them in the loop of stories from home.
2. Visit your student at SMSU--Take them out to dinner or for a little shopping; invite their friends or roommate to join you!
3. Email your first-year student a story about their brother/sister/pet once a week. Don't be surprised if you don't hear back for a while, but we bet you will! Either way, they will appreciate this connection.
4. Encourage them to get tickets for an event on campus or in Marshall that the whole family can enjoy together.
5. Remind your student that it's ok not to have all the answers all the time. They have many resources at their fingertips—including the resources on this page from orientation.
6. Create a scrapbook of their emails and notes to home and give it to them at the end of their first year at SMSU as a reminder of all their accomplishments.
7. Remind your student that, whatever their concern or problem, there is someone at SMSU who can help them. Encourage them to seek out those people on their own.
8. Remember that a student calendar may sometimes feel a bit erratic; don't expect them to keep the same hours they did at home.
9. Read university and student publications from SMSU or check out www.gomarshall.net to keep up with events and resources that are available.
10. Help your student to process the semester and their experience. Ask open ended questions about favorite classes, campus involvement, plans for the spring semester. Ask their opinion on campus social experiences, study habits, alcohol, safety, money management, and other topics that are important in the lives of students. This will keep you connected with their life at SMSU and will also let them know that you care about what they are going through.