formerly University of Missouri-Rolla
Parent Concerns

As your son or daughter begins their career at Missouri S&T, they will encounter more freedom, choices, and responsibilities than ever before.  We recognize the importance of family in the lives of our students and know that parenting a college student can be hard work

Navigating the college experience is something family members can assist their student with by familiarizing themselves with the requirements, policies, procedures and available resources on campus. 

We seek to provide family members with information to assist them as they empower their student to become their own self advocate.The list below serves as a resource regarding university policy and procedures along with some of the most common issues and concerns for parents of University students.  

Academic Adjustment
Career Counseling
Disenchantment with School
Family Concerns
Financial Concerns
Personal Issue
Physical or Mental Health Issue
Roommate Conflicts
Social Adjustment
Student Absence
Student Academic Regulations
Student Conduct
Student Discrimination & Grievance Procedure
Student Injury
Student Safety
Test Anxiety

 

Academic Adjustment

Feelings of inadequacy and inferiority due to a discrepancy between high school grades and initial college performance is common. It helps to remind students that college is not high school and they might need to learn different ways of studying. If your student is having problems adjusting academically, you might suggest that he or she:

  • Talk to the professor in the class that is causing problems. The class syllabus includes the professor's office hours, phone number, and e-mail address.

  • Utilize the services offered through Academic Support Programs such as a Learning Consultation, participation in LEAD Tutoring sessions, the Math Help Program, or the Missouri S&T Writing Center.  Some departments also have review sessions or a teaching assistant who can help. 

  • Meet with his or her academic advisor. Advisors usually post their office hours and appointment sign-up sheets on their office doors or online. If students don't know who their advisor is, they can contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

  • Leave a voice mail or send an e-mail to professors who seem especially difficult to get in touch with.

  • Go to Seminars or Presentations offered free of charge by Academic Support Programs

If your child is having trouble with academic performance, please contact:


Career Counseling

Students wondering about their majors and career options may take advantage of career counseling at the Counseling Center. Typically, career counseling explores personal and professional goals and how to achieve them. Individuals may complete interest inventories to help clarify their likes and dislikes and occupational "matches." Individual and group formats of career counseling are available.  Students can also find valuable information through the Career Opportunities Center.  

If your student is having trouble with determining their area of study, please contact:

  • Career Opportunities Center, (573) 341-4343, career@mst.edu
  • The Counseling Center, (573) 341-4211, counsel@mst.edu

 

Disenchantment with School

Students begin to realize that life at college is not as perfect as they may have thought before they arrived -- old problems continue, while new ones crop up. Disenchantment with college can be caused by a wide variety of factors: academic stress, relationship issues, peer pressure, or homesickness are just a few examples. You might want to ask your student if he or she is feeling homesick or missing friends or a significant other. Some resources you might suggest:

If your student has lost enthusiasm for school or is suffering from homesickness, please contact:

  

Family Concerns

When a student is away at college, major events in the family, such as divorce or the death of a relative or friend, can be especially difficult to handle. The distance from home and inability to assist his or her family during these tough times may leave a student feeling helpless, guilty, angry or alone. What's worse, your student may find it difficult to share these feelings with you or other family members.

If you think your student may be struggling with family issues, suggest he or she seek counsel and advice from the Counseling Center, Student Advocacy Services or their resident hall director.  If students are going to be absent for more than 3 days, Student Advocacy Services can issue absence notification to instructors on behalf of the student.

If family concerns are affecting your student, he or she may want to talk with:

 

Financial Concerns

There are many different programs that students can take advantage of to meet their education costs. Many Missouri S&T students receive a combination of merit-based scholarships, Federal need based assistance, scholarships and grants for Missouri residents and through other financial opportunities at Missouri S&T.

If your student is struggling with financial concerns with school, please contact:

  • Student Financial Assistance, (573) 341-4282, SFA@mst.edu

 

Personal issues

Students are encouraged to talk to the student advocate, resident director or a counselor at the Counseling Center. Academic advisers may also help students find resources related to personal concerns.

 

Physical or mental health issue

Your student should make an appointment with Student Health Services or the Counseling Center


RoommateConflicts

These usually arise because of misunderstandings, unwillingness to compromise, and personality differences. These conflicts can quickly spin out of control if they are not resolved quickly. If your college student complains to you about a problematic roommate:

  • Ask if they have spoken to their RA (resident assistant) on their floor. RAs are trained to help students solve roommate problems.

  • Suggest they talk to their hall director for more help if they're still having problems after working with the RA.

  • Direct them to the Office of Residence Life. Staff members can help roommates in conflict resolve their differences, or work with other mediators in the Health and Counseling Center (generally, Residence Life mediates only when Resident Assistants and Hall Directors are unable to bring the parties in conflict to some sort of agreement).

  • At any point students can visit our Student Advocacy Services office for assistance in dealing with issues or concerns.

  • Students may wish to visit the Counseling Center to participate in some of their outreach programs including issues involving dealing with difficult people & group dynamics. 

For more information on roommate issues, please contact:

 

Social Adjustment

Students might feel inadequate if they are not immediately accepted by a peer group. If your college student is having trouble socially, you might suggest some of the following ways to meet new friends on campus:

  • Become involved with peers at their campus housing location
  • Participate in a student organization or volunteer group
  • Join an intramural team or student design team
  • Join an academic club in their major or an area of interest
  • Engage in the group programming offered through Academic Support Programs
  • Develop a study group with classmates
  • Go to a campus play

The Counseling Center is a great resource for addressing concerns through personal counseling in areas of self-exploration, college adjustment, feelings of depression and anxiety, interpersonal issues, or self-esteem.

For more information about social adjustment, please contact:


Student Absence

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs provides a student absence notification service upon request for extended student absences. Our policy defines extended absences as being three or more days in length. Notifications are issued to instructors, academic advisors and the Registrar's office. It is at the discretion of each instructor to excuse the absence. Arrangement for missed assignments is the responsibility of the student. Students or family members may request this service by contacting our office at stuaff@mst.edu or 573.341.4292

 

Student Academic Regulations

Students are responsible for knowing and complying with the entirety of the Student Academic Regulations comprised of eleven sections including: notifications, registration, schedules, changes in schedules, absences, withdrawals, examinations, grades, unsatisfactory work, probation & discipline.

  

Student Conduct

The Division of Student Affairs and its Judicial Affairs service is committed to enhance the academic mission of the university by creating and maintaining a safe, positive and productive living and learning community. The Standard of Conduct defines behavior expected of all University of Missouri students. Judicial Affairs is committed to changing the thought and decision-making process of students through educational and developmental sanctions that challenge their decisions as adults. Information pertaining to Student Conduct is available online at: http://campus.mst.edu/values/

 

The Student Expectations, Rights and Responsibilities Statement is provided to educate students, faculty and staff on expectations of behavior while engaged in community development.

Contact Information

Student Discrimination & Grievance Procedures

Missouri S&T students are encouraged to take action if they feel they have been discriminated against in any way: if a grade appears to have been assigned on the basis of something other than performance in a course; if it appears that you or someone you know is being treated differently on the basis of ethnicity, cultural background, or sexual orientation. Even if students don't want to pursue a formal complaint, they are still encouraged to

discuss options with the student advocate or someone who can help.
Please reference The Discrimination & Grievance Procedure for Students policy online. 

 

Student Injury

If your student is involved in a non-vehicular accident resulting from, arising out of and directly relating to the University's premises (owned, rented or leased) they will need to complete the STUDENT OR GENERAL PUBLIC INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE REPORT Students should contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs to report this matter. 


Student Safety

The Missouri University of Science and Technology places a high priority on the personal safety of its students.  The University Police Department is committed to providing a secure campus. However, being a new student in a new environment can sometimes be intimidating. If you or your student have any safety concerns, you might make your student aware of the many security awareness and crime prevention programs and materials University Police offers. These include but are not limited to:

  • Escort Service â€" A free escort service for people walking on campus or to and from a University owned residence.

  • Campus Safety -- The University Police Department offers to students, faculty, and staff crime prevention programs that are useful in the protection of property and contribute to the physical well-being of the campus community.

  • Crime Prevention Materials -- Brochures and posters related to substance abuse, personal safety, seat belt use, motor vehicle and bicycle theft prevention, residence and office security are distributed campus wide.

For more information on student safety and the programs, materials


Test Anxiety

Many students feel anxious when they take their first college exams or tests. Anxiety may be caused when the student doesn't know what a professor expects, how a test will be designed, or what to study. Professors normally discuss the content and format of the exam before it takes place, but students may start worrying early nonetheless. If your student seems particularly worried about a test, you might suggest to your student that he or she:

  • Talk to the instructor. The class syllabus includes the instructor's office hours, email address, and telephone number, and the student should feel free to contact the professor to discuss a test if need be.

  • Visit Academic Support Programs to have a free Learning Consultation and to develop new test-taking strategies, or learn ways to overcome test anxiety.

  • Contact Disability Support Services to see if they need formal accommodations