Parents & Families

The quickest, easiest way for parents to receive information about their child’s grades, financial statement, or other student information is for the student to provide it. Students can look up information online, print it off, and give or email a copy to their parents.

FERPA regulations allow, but do not require, higher education institutions to provide notice to parents when a student violates federal, state, or local laws related to alcohol or drugs.

The U.S. Department of Education is responsible for overseeing FERPA. Visit their website for additional information.

Learn more about FERPA

Download Widener's FERPA policy

The transition to college is challenging for both students and their parents. Going from high school to college is a major milestone, one that marks the student’s eventual transition into independence. However, neither student nor parent needs to handle the transition alone. Affordable Colleges Online created this online guide to help ease the transition process by addressing the common first-year challenges for parents and their children.

The guide helps parents prepare for the high school-to-college transition; explores the financial aid process; discusses concerns about housing and student independence; identifies on-campus resources for students; and offers resources for parents of high school students, college freshmen, college students, and graduate school students.

ACCESS THE SUPPORTIVE PARENTS, SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS GUIDEBOOK 

• Talk with your student about the freedoms and responsibilities that come with being at college.
• Encourage open dialogue that introduces the topic of drinking in terms of what you've read in the newspaper or seen on TV, allowing for less personal discussion of the topic.
• Talk in general terms about the legal, financial, health, and safety concerns related to drinking. Students do not always know the scope of the problems that can arise.
• Ask your student what there is to do on campus that doesn't involve drinking. This encourages your student to think about the alternatives.
• Share with your student if there is a family history of alcohol or drug problems.
• Talk about date-rape drugs and the importance of never leaving a beverage unattended or accepting a drink without seeing it poured. This is a way to talk about partying without giving the impression that you assume your student is drinking.
• Assure your student that you will respect your student's privacy related to health care and that you would rather be safe than decline medical attention. 
• If you discover that your student has been drinking, try to discuss the situation calmly without accusations or expressions of anger. Ultimately, the most crucial factor is that students act responsibly in the future.

Widener University is one of hundreds of institutions nationwide requiring every member of their first-year class to complete an online alcohol education module. Whether or not your student drinks, this educational tool will empower your student to make well-informed decisions and provide simple strategies to help keep them safe.

Information about this module will be shared directly to students via email.

Going to college signifies a time of new beginnings, but it can also be a challenging time with added peer pressure when it comes to making choices related to drugs and alcohol use. Although peers have a strong influence on student behavior, parents set the foundation for factors such as peer pressure to have less influence on student alcohol use. Students' relationships with their parents continue to play a major protective role in promoting their development and success throughout college. 

The most important thing parents can do to help ensure their student makes healthy, informed decisions while in college is to stay involved in their lives by talking and listening to them about all aspects of their lives. Remain engaged through phone calls, texts, and emails, especially during the first few weeks and months of college life when students are most vulnerable and are at greatest risk of making high risk decisions. Research has shown that the more involved parents are, the higher the likelihood students will make safe choices about alcohol and drug use.