The LC Experience
The LC Experience: Students, Parents and College Communication
In its mission, Lynchburg College is committed to helping students develop the requisite knowledge and skills for success in their private lives, the public world of work, and their roles as citizens in a complex and changing world. Additionally, we believe that certain personal characteristics are necessary for success in life. These include responsibility, initiative, good decision-making, strong interpersonal communication skills, and integrity. At Lynchburg College, the importance of these characteristics is addressed in the classroom, through co-curricular activities, and is explicit in the Honor Code.
We find that students can best learn these principles by applying them in a supportive collegiate environment. Faculty, academic advisors, and administrative staff make every effort to present academic and co-curricular information and standards to students and refer them to appropriate enrichment opportunities and support services. Students themselves are responsible for selection of a major and of courses, for meeting standards required by academic and co-curricular programs of the College, and for taking the initiative to utilize the many resources available to them. Students are also responsible for communications with their parents, especially about important matters such as academic performance and progress toward graduation.
To encourage a positive student-parent relationship, the College emphasizes to students the importance of providing parents (or legal guardians) with information regarding their academic and co-curricular progress. For academic progress, the College makes information available to students via Studentsonline (including grades), and students are encouraged to share information about their academic progress with their parents. Additionally, the College publishes dates (on the College’s web site) when grades are posted each semester. Guidelines for notification of parents of dependent undergraduates about student disciplinary matters are detailed in the student handbook, The Hornet, under the Parental Notification Policy.
When parents telephone or e-mail College personnel with questions related to students’ academic or co-curricular activities, they will receive general information about College standards, regulations, and available services. College personnel will not provide information about student progress and/or activities in specific courses or co-curricular areas, but will encourage students to speak openly and candidly with parents about their progress. It is the students’ responsibility to contact College personnel about their needs and concerns. College personnel who are asked by parents to intervene in students’ academic and/or co-curricular activities will involve the student directly. College representatives will inform the students of the procedure that must be taken to initiate the requested intervention independently. In this way, the students can take responsibility for their college experience.
To facilitate effective communication:
Students are expected to:
- Stay informed of policies, procedures, upcoming deadlines and events regarding academic and co-curricular activities, and share relevant information with their parents;
- Communicate important information (such as grades, progress toward graduation, etc.) directly to parents in an accurate and timely manner;
- Communicate with College personnel in a timely manner regarding academic or co-curricular concerns and assistance requests;
Give careful consideration to the information provided by College personnel and make decisions using that information
- Read and respond, as appropriate and in a timely manner, to all forms of communication from the College and its personnel, including e-mail, voice mail, printed letters distributed through campus mail, etc.;
- Utilize all available resources provided by the College for student success.
The College’s representatives are expected to:
- Provide students with detailed information of policies, procedures, upcoming dates/deadlines, and events regarding academic and co-curricular activities;
- Respond in a timely manner and in accordance with relevant policies and procedures to students’ reasonable requests for academic and co-curricular information and assistance;
- Encourage students to provide parents with accurate information regarding grade and academic and co-curricular progress;
Continue to provide services and resources that support student success.
Parents are expected to:
- Encourage students to stay informed of policies, procedures, upcoming deadlines, and events regarding academic and co-curricular activities;
- Listen to student concerns and encourage their student to contact appropriate College personnel, in a timely manner, to address academic and co-curricular concerns and to request assistance;
- Encourage students to read and respond, as appropriate and in a timely manner, to all forms of communication from the College and its personnel, including e-mail, voice messages, printed letters distributed via campus mail, etc.;
- Encourage students to take advantage of all of the services and resources provided for their success; and
- Support students by expecting them to accept responsibility for their actions and progress.
