Parents and Guests

Orientation 2014

Parents and guests — Seattle Pacific University invites you to an informative program of Orientation 2014 events on September 25–26, 2014. SPU faculty and staff are ready to answer all of your questions. You’ll connect with other parents and guests of new students. We’ll even help move your student into his or her new living quarters.

Registration

In order for you and your family to register as guests for Orientation, your student will first need to register for Orientation through his or her Banner account (similar to the registration process for New Student Advising). 

Your student will list guests and their emails. This will then generate an automatic email to each guest with a link to register. Be sure to register for each guest only once.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact us:

Email: orientation@spu.edu
Phone: 206-281-2689

What Will Help Your Student Thrive at SPU?

Embrace these new experiences as a part of your student’s continuing development. The first year of college can be a challenging time, so prayerfully consider how you can help your student thrive.

  • Respect your student’s decisions. Remember that God is working in the lives of young learners, preparing them for the future.
  • Consistently communicate with your student. Engage appropriately in conversations about their decisions.
  • Be prepared for some significant and, at times, controversial discussions.
  • Be confident in your student’s potential. Praise accomplishments.
  • Be assured that the SPU faculty and staff are deeply committed to your student’s success.
  • Keep your sense of humor.
  • Work cooperatively on reasonable budgets.
  • Remember that your student is in the process of becoming a responsible adult, but it won’t happen overnight. Change requires adjustment, and stress is inevitable.
  • If you now face an “empty nest” at home, get ready for new challenges. It won’t be the same.

(Excerpted and adapted from Helping Your First-Year College Student Succeed: A Guide for Parents, by Richard H. Mullendore and Cathie Hatch; and Letting Go: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding the College Years, by Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger.)

Nate and Scott Strong

A Parent's Reflections on Orientation

I was impressed by how organized everything was. The Orientation staff knew we were coming, they knew where to send us, and they even helped us haul things upstairs to Nate’s room.

Scott Strong
SPU Parent
First Year

The First Year of College

Every student handles the transition to college life differently, but most face certain common challenges, especially during the first year.