unf_parents_assn_satisfaction_survey_2011_6731238[1].DOC

UNF Parents Assn Satisfaction Survey 2011 Type: UNF Parents Assn Satisf Executive Summary Report Date: 8/19/2011 Time Zone in which Dates/Times Appear: (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) Total number of responses collected: 473 1: During the past school year, how often did you come to campus to visit your student and/or for an event? (Respondents could only choose a single response) Created using Vovici 2: How often have you used or referred to the following services offered by UNF's Office of Parent and Family Programs? Created using Vovici Created using Vovici 3: How often have you attended the following programs sponsored by the Office of Parent and Family Programs? Created using Vovici 4: Are you aware that the Office of Parent and Family Programs also provides the following services and financial support that benefit students directly? Please check all that apply (Respondents were allowed to choose multiple responses) Created using Vovici 5: How important you believe it is that UNF continue to provide the following services and activities for parents, guardians and families? Created using Vovici 6: Overall, please indicate your level of satisfaction with the University's programs and services for parents, guardians and families of UNF students (Respondents could only choose a single response) Created using Vovici 7: The Office of Parent and Family Programs sends an electronic newsletter to parents and guardians of undergraduate students How much of the newsletter you read? (Respondents could only choose a single response) Created using Vovici 8: Have you discussed any of the following topics covered in the newsletters with your student? Please check all that apply (Respondents were allowed to choose multiple responses) Created using Vovici 9: In addition to the Office of Parent and Family Programs, from what other University offices or programs have you received communications (postal or electronic)? Please check all that apply (Respondents were allowed to choose multiple responses) Created using Vovici 16: Is there anything that the University could to better support you as a parent or guardian? If so, what other services or programs would you like to see for parents or guardians? Response ? I went to the first Parent Orientation At every turn, the message I received from the other parents, students, and others who spoke, was to back off and just let my student whatever she wanted to that she was grown now, and I was no longer needed in her life Except, they were very happy to take any donation of money or time that I was willing to give to the school I felt that just because I had showed up for the orientation, they believed I was a meddling parent and it was their job to show me the err of my ways Consequently, I have not been back to any orientations, or any other parent meetings since I gave them my money, but no more time We live locally, and I get my information from my daughter, including when and how she still needs me I am very grateful to have a University of this caliber locally, but I have done as they recommended on that first day of orientation, and backed off a tutor zone more like FSU and UF very satisfied with level of communication and support provided by UNF this school is a good fit not only for our student but for our family as well A way to know when your child is not doing well with grades I have a first generation college student I saw scholarships being given to similar students on a news cast I have no idea how or where my son should apply for same Thank you to Jeannie Middleton and her staff, speakers and volunteers The parents definitely feel the love while staying in the loop! I found our first year to be a very good experience We did have a couple "hiccups" and when trying to resolve them, we were given guidance Unfortunately hours away and working full-time does not allow us much time to be as hands on as we would like however I think our daughter prefers it that way! As I noted on my survey, without detail, the concerns this year really were the break-ins (several, at least one in her building, broad daylight on a Sunday!)We have chosen to move her to another facility Wish there were rides from UNF to south Florida :) It is very frustrating when you are trying to pay bills & is impossible to get any help My older daughter went to another college that allowed the child to sign a form & allow the parents to have access to this information who you think is paying the bills? Joey appears to be so happy at your University, thank you so very much Created using Vovici The big missing aspect for UNF is the bonding of students, parents & alumni through a high profile sport and on campus fraternity or sorority houses UNF should make an effort to build these aspects Until it does, all of the communication & parent/student activities won't create a sizable difference in student retainment, excitement, loyalty, etc UNF has very nice academic facilities but there is something missing A quality division II football program that plays against equal level competition would make a big difference The atmosphere of a fall event including cheerleaders, bands,rivalries such as what UF/FSU has, would be tremendous in developing a better UNF identity & pride Until you do, you are going to see many quality students leave after years for universities that have that component You have a nice stadium equivalent to what a Furman, Ga Southern or FAU has Soccer & Lacross are nice but come on! So, build the intangibles and allow greek houses to get built to grow a better campus feel! Love the electronic newsletter, but only get it about 1x per semester Would like more frequent and more info about fee, housing, cand campus deadlines Would have appreciated better info about security breach and action updates There are plenty of services and programs available for those who choose to participate We had three students at UNF last year so it was difficult to answer the last few questions We had a freshman, junior and senior and one lived on campus and the other lived in houses and apt off campus beachside I'm not familiar with the term first coast region but we live in Cocoa Beach, Fl Thanks for all you do:) This is our second child in college, and UNF is head and shoulders above both of our first child's schools (Southern Oregon University and University of California, Irvine) in communicating and involving parents Can't think of any thing else you can Keep up the good work Great job No issues on my end but then again I encourage my son to resolve his issues and not rely having parents resolve the problem By all means discuss with us any concerns and possible solutions but he ultimately needs to address it Knowing the services that are available to students and parents for all kinds of issues is great i need to be able to access my students acct as it pertains to money owed and grades throughout the semester as i am the one paying the bills and want to make sure that he is on track I am the parent of a student from Pennsylvania It has been difficult navigating the UNF system and trying to accomplish things from afar I believe that the Parents Association does an excellent job of communicating I wish that the other departments that I call upon frequently (Cashier, Housing, One-Stop) when I have questions or am trying to find out information would the same It is quite a challenge I believe that UNF already offers so many opportunities to get involved as parents I only wish I had more time to so but in this time and day work consumes a lot of parents time.Thanks for the great job you all at UNF What a great school!!!! Created using Vovici More info on status of campus safety, dorm issues, cafeteria status, gym status I don't feel the University has a good plan on how to decide who is your child's roommate There was no profile paperwork or anything that asked what type of roommate you would prefer to be placed with Please consider changing this Parents need assistance navigating student accounts I have been a higher ed administrator for over 25 years and I get FERPA, but can’t you create an easier waiver process concerning accounts? I understand that it’s easier to blow students off than deal with parents, but hiding behind FERPA to make their lives easier is really unnecessary I just want to have some simple questions answered and pay her damn bill Again, I understand the importance of the teachable moment for my child and have I drafted emails for my daughter to send and have also seen the responses sent to a student I sincerely doubt, that they would answer a parent’s inquire in the same manner Based on this survey, it appears that there may be resources available to parents that we did not know existed Communicating these resources would be helpful This is the fourth college we have dealt with and UNF does the best job of all of them, including and informing parents especially for incoming students We have been impressed and thankful In preparation for our student's second year, however, we have received almost nothing so far We have heard reports that tuition is going up and Bright Futures has been reduced, but have not received anything from UNF regarding this Parents need to know what we are up against How much is tuition going to be? Are there any scholarships available at this late date? I would like to see the dorms be single gender It is inappropriate to have both genders live in the same dorm buildings We were very dissapointed with that The application my daughter submitted for financial aid was selected to be verified I have faxed multiple documents and each time we are asked to provide another/different document I printed the paperwork originally and provided everything that was required When my daughter calls for clarification she is told that we should just keep sending the information Why can't we be told up front what is required so that I don't have to continue faxing documents with concievably no end in sight? Difficult at times to get in contact with offices at UNF call back or return emails Since this is a growing time for students to learn to solve their own problems, parents should not be real involved after the orientation Students should be relying on their advisors and faculty mentors for guidance-parental advice should be there only when needed Students need to learn how to stand on their own-they won't be students forever I truly not have any suggestions We are very happy with the resources available through the UNF Parents Association The university should not divert funds to support the parents Those funds would be better served by reducing the costs of tuition Reducing the financial burden to the parents would Created using Vovici be the best support to offer The students that help with orientation should be carefully screened They were very deragotory and negative about the school when my daughter went through orientation It left her nervous and discouraged about starting school!! I would like to be added to the electronic communication and newsletters denisegarafola@comcast.net I'd like to see an universal release of infoRmation form or in the least financial Paying for and clearing errors in tuition and room charges for parents is impossible and frustrating Hello, most of us don't have 100 percent scholarships Parents have a huge financial stake here It is insulting that UNF would solicit my donation when it has no respect for my financial contribution to my student's financial expense The e newsletter was very hard to read It was very small type, large paragraphs, too tiresome to get through It needs to be laid out much better It seems like there is an overall disconnect between the university and parents I not feel a part of the university community at all and not have a solution for that It seems that you have many avenues but to me, they are in "stealth-mode." What IS the Parent Website? I have received a total of e-mails from UNF All from Jeanne Middleton (bless her) They started in December ended in April Four were Parent News Two were Baseball Tailgate One was a homecoming invite Did I study them? No But now, going back and looking, I see a LOT OF STUFF but I've not found the "Parent, Scholarship, or Honors College" website(s) Perhpaps a "Quick-Start Guide" on each one whom/where to contact for what would be a good idea I don't understand why there's a banner that says "Table of Contents" -when there doesn't appear to be one or a link to same(??) Yes it would be great if there was an "INFO DESK" a Parents Concierge if you will, where we could CALL/or E-mail and find out the whom/when/where to go on campus to get answers That would be a fine resource I think The Parents Organization does a great job I throughly enjoyed the orientation and the fact that I got an email with the events and happenings at the college Even though I had a child already graduate from another college in another state, we went to the orientation and I was very impressed I also like the fact that all the University staff were/are very helpful in any time I have called to ask for information or needed help with something Keep up the good work More scholarships and roommate finder Maybe have a mixer to help students who live off campus and are looking for roommates I think the financial pages of the website are difficult to understand, at times, sionce ther eis no information on them regarding when they are updated I'm also still not accustomed to not having complete access to my daughter's financial information (just my own issue-she shares well!) Created using Vovici Within the last week we took another UNF tour for our next child that will be attending college in the Fall of 2012 Tour guide was very good, but should have asked if anyone has a child attending There were other parents/families that have already been on the tour and have a child that is attending or has attended UNF In the course of conversation w/ them you learn what their ideas are about UNF's life on campus, or scholastic, and athletic There's a great number of people that investigate the colleges their children are considering More help and information regarding scholarships, etc Even though it is the student who is dealing with this it still falls back on the parent and if we don't have the information it makes it hard for us to avail ourselves of the opportunities I know that the student is supposed to be seeking this information, but the reality is that the parents end up shouldering the majority of the expenses My son was injured while playing basketball (foot fracture) He called campus patrol as well as the infirmary to get assistance in taking him to be seen by the nurse with no success He had to walk on his fracture to the shuttle and then walk to the infirmary A golf cart or some mode of transport should be available to injured students The University mail yearly financial statements of what they have paid to school for taxes etc.Some parents are NOT as savy with computer skills and it can be very difficult to get info online when you don't no how to use UNF website or computer well Was told we could not get by mail only website I know that there are other universities that mail out statements yrly Please stop charging late fees when we have mailed our payments in on time We can't predict how long the post office will take to deliver our payment to the University To make matters worse, we have to pray that the school's post office delivers the payment in a reasonable amount of time This system is very frustrating and quite frankly unfair as an out of state parent, it is difficult to attend your events But I appreciated the wonderful orientation for incoming freshman Ithin the parent assoc did a spectacular job! During these changing economic times many students need financial assistance even though they may have both merit based scholarships (Bright Futures)and the Florida Prepaid Plan My students live at home, have both of the above, one works full time They and we need to be aware of financial scholarships/grants I tried unsuccessfully to speak to a counselor for months via e-mail, telephone and in person Finally, I was able to speak to a financial counselor in person only to learn that we needed to speak to them earlier as the monies had already been allocated for our demographic Parents need more hands on approaches to financial concerns Yes let the parents know if a course that is needed for a students major will be available sooner than canceling at the last minute My students had a hard time finding part-time employment Would love to know how they could find work on campus Created using Vovici Most of these questions are , as usual, assuming that my son lives on campus while he actually lives at home and commutes We cannot afford on campus residence I think you a great job of communicating information My student is not very big on sharing and I wanted to comment to let you know that we have not attended any of the organized events because being local, our student has begged us not to go I just didn't want you to think the hard work was not appreciated Also, some of our answers may differ based on the fact that they live at home and we don't feel the need to worry about them as we would if they were out of state I just felt it was important to point that out Thank you for all that you do! MORE INFORMATION RELATIVE TO GRADES(IF TEACHERS POST, ITS NOT ALWAYS ON BLACKBOARD) CAN'T FIGURE OUT IF THERE IS OTHER SOURCES::INCLUDING ATTENDENCE (WE UNDERSTAND YOUR NOT BABY SITTERS) I travel extensively for my job and I also runa business on the side I think the university does a good job I am just not able to participate Better inform parents of the financial aid and scholarships available Better communication needed Financial aid ie:grants More information regarding scholarships and grants No, the support is wonderful However, the bathrooms in The Hall were horid Several complaints had been placed and only once to my knowledge did something get done and then it was back to disgusting That is unacceptable upkeep of the bathrooms We were very disappointed with the student advising Our daughter had several frustrating experiences trying to get some direction and or meetings As a parent I would have liked an opportunity to interject my feelings directly UNF has always kept me informed as a parent - I love the newsletters! More access to student financial issues, seeing as the parents income directly impacts financial aid, etc With out us completing a FAFSA our student can not get financial aid, so we should be included in all correspondences in regards to finances, you have no problem asking for money from us, so we should be in the loop!!! In all that is going on in people's lives the email is great way to communicate It would be good to have UNF in the subject line Not always sure who it is from Because my daughter is an athlete, we visited for games, but not always for homecoming etc events Love the campus, everyone is very helpful More than impressed with the advisors Tuition and housing payments are due before student loans are In our account Can this be changed so making timely payments can be less stressful? No one appreciates a late fee of any amount Thank you Created using Vovici I think the various offices on campus try to work with parents to get them the information they need and still stay within the privacy law I have had numerous financial aid, course requirement, etc questions answered without issue I find the people I talk to very helpful and friendly No, doing a great job Any concerns are answered quickly Dormitory housing was an issue Issues never getting resolved and poor communication from them There were services listed in the survey that I had no idea were available, and I'm not sure how to even access Doing a great job, so don't have any suggestions at this time Enjoyed parents weekend We live about hours away so not able to visit her or for her to come home on a regular basis that is okay though Visited in Oct, Thanksgiving and she came home in Dec She came home spring break, so it worked out well None that I can think of at this time I wish we had been able to attend more of the functions offerred It seemed we always had a schedule conflict and/or the drive from Orlando was too long for the time there More information and inclusion in the financial aid process The student doesn't pay the bill, we parents do! there is very little communication even with the student and late fees are assesed letters are sent to students and they won't even talk to parents without the students permission The only GOOD communication I had was with the parents association Bless you! you did an excellant job with keeping us informed I wasn't able to attend events because I work jobs daily and there wasn't time or energy at the end of the day I would like to see better academic guidance Despite the fact that my daughter has not changed majors she was not able to apply to the exercise science program on time As I understand this is not uncommon and actually seems the norm rather than atypical I am just finding out that UNF means "You never finish" as the students apparentl say I was able to graduate in years while working It is not right that students should be in this situation With proper EARLY guidance they would be able to complete their program ON TIME which is something that should receive much more prioity I have tried not to be a "helicopter parent" and feel that the result is that my child gets to spend another year getting an undergraduate degree and that isn't cheap! Please consider focusing on this area I believe that parent involvement here could be a tremedous asset Otherwise I think UNF has been WONDERFUL, thank you my daughter and several of her dorm mates were very dissatisfied with their academic advisor it is a critical role and the right information can be invaluable it was very frustrating Created using Vovici TIMELY Scholarship information Housing both on and off campus information Work/Study and Financial deadlines one of the negative experiences we had this year was in one of the classes a professor was quite verbal about their personal political views Students are there to learn a range of opinions not only specific ones Also if there are concerns about teachers it is difficult to be able to freely offer them, ie teachers not showing up for class, or cancelling class have to worry about the ramilfications if you comment on rate my professor.com prior to the end of the semester The orientation and family weekends were wonderful As a new parent last year, I guess i really didnt understand the weekend until it was right on top of us We almost didn't go and then were glad we did I don't remember if more than one mailing was sent out We were dissappointed it was not better attended Maybe have a special session for the commuter students living at home? very satisfied not sure Just because the "child" reaches his 18th birthday doesn't mean he's an adult The parents should be informed of more things even if it means having the student sign a waiver permitting this Whoever is paying the bills should be kept informed It's hard when you live so far to be involved We would like to see more academic support (available tutoring) for athletes The ACE hours are not convenient when the students are not on campus Our experience has been wonderful It seems that UNF has thought of everything to make the adjustment easy for parents and students Could not be happier! I would like to see the level of current responsiveness to issues, which appears to be excellent from my perspective, continue I think overall UNF provides good communication about services and programs offered to parents and students The promotional packages you for students is not very organized! My daughter never recieved the Valentine's package that I paid $25+ for, so I will not participate in these promotions ever again! It would be nice to have some arrangements in case of illness to check on the students, or to provide a basket for a fee with some food and basic care while they are in bed Also a surprise birthday packet/cake Also to have transportation arrangements to the bus terminal/airport with a fee, or to have once a month transportation arrangements with a fee to the other Florida public universities, or at least the hometowns where most student's homes are Communication is excellent I thought Parents Weekend could have featured more interesting activities Created using Vovici we need more financial help I was not pleased with the Housing office or their lack of assistance I was also not impressed with the student billing office They are extremely difficult to communicate with and not interested in helping free parking especially closer to residence halls for parents I don't have a problem with the support of UNF, but one thing we feel should not be allowed as an incoming freshman is to pledge for a fraternity Our son did and it was a big side track for getting used to everything else about college and being away from home Too much involvement with the pledging and taking kids home that had been drinking I have been very satified every time I have reached out to someone at the University I really appreciate that someone answers the phone and is able to answer my question I think the communication could be better as I have not heard of some of the resources listed perhaps I am not getting that information from the few newsletters I have received Show parents how to access grades Assignments Teacher communication so we can make sure our kids are staying on top of things Talk to the parents when they all to ask questions Don't say, "we can't talk to you because your child is 18 or over!!!" We often have difficulties with the UNF website and often find it difficult to locate the information that we are looking for We would love to see improvements to the website We are not Florida residents I feel the total focus is on in-state students and families and does not take into consideration those of us who are unable to come to campus or events or be involved The University could be more helpful with finding more grants and scholarships I would like to see a more user friendly UNF website At times it is very difficult to navigate Our sons experince at UNF has been exceptional to date! sometimes student dont tell parents when they are sick (i would like to know when my student is sick it may be serious )student may not think its serious.i love my student,and am concerned about her welfare thanks Jeannie Middleton has been very supportive to me as a parent I appreciate her willingness to help us in the first year with roommate problems However, the rest of my communication with campus staff has left me underwhelmed Better assistance for summer short term housing solutions Scholarship info I receive the parent newsletters, but was unaware of the parent website Maybe I'm accessing it via the newsletter and am just forgetting, but I would like to save the website Created using Vovici as a favorite This may already be occurring, but would appreciate having the website highlighted in each newsletter Also, I would like to add UNF Parents Facebook to my modes of communication, but am not sure how to Being that most parents are the ones paying for or assisting in their kids education, I strongly believe we should be allowed to get more open communication about our kids financial records and also what goes on with them We are stil their parents, and they still need our guidance especially their freshman year of college Discuss finances and fines since I'm paying Programs we can help support to provide free transportation to students who go out socially and drink Too many kids are driving while intoxicated and are not responsible enought to make a plan UF has several services I dont feel that there is enough monitoring of the guys not being allowed in the girls dorms, my daughter had a tough year with her roommate's boyfriend always there, spending the night she was in the Hall, so there was community bathroom, which she spoke alot of it was not kept clean, and only of the showers were workable, the others were always clogged up, not draining The transition from High School to College was a bit difficult for my family I would like to see some type of service just to help with the numerous questions and concerns! Yes, UNF could provide shuttle service to the Town Center for students or get them free or reduced bus service with JTA, like EWC have at their college ACADEMIC GUIDANCE! GUIDANCE! GUIDANCE! In our experience, guidance is non-existant or insufficient at best and has contributed to poor academic planning This has also contributed to the loss of thousands of dollars in scholarship money that should have been avoided It is my opinion that a University should everything that it can to help the student be successful If a professor does not intervene in the case of a failing student and takes an attitude that failing is just another acceptable outcome of the education process, then the school suffers as well as the student Indeed, the professor fails when a student fails, but the difference is that the professor keeps the job When a student believes that failure is the only option, then they will fail Where in the University book of procedures does it state the need to create class curricula and teaching methods that result in failure by gifted students? Feel free to assign this to just a sour grapes, disgruntled parent but you asked Created using Vovici Valid Responses 107 Total Responses 446 17: What is your relationship to your student? (Respondents could only choose a single response) Created using Vovici 18: What year in school was your student during the 2010-2011 school year? (Respondents could only choose a single response) Created using Vovici 19: Where does your student live while attending UNF? (Respondents could only choose a single response) Created using Vovici 20: Where is your student's permanent residence? (Respondents could only choose a single response) Created using Vovici Created using Vovici