Families

Confidentiality

Initial contacts from families are greatly appreciated, especially when negotiating the steps in submitting required documentation. Once the semester begins, however, we are unable to disclose student information to you without a Consent for Disclosure form signed by the student. For more information about confidentiality related to student educational records, please read PLU’s FERPA Policy Statement.

Pacific Lutheran University is committed to providing equitable opportunity in education for all members of the University community without regard to an individual’s race, color, creed, religion, gender, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, marital status, sexual orientation or any other status protected by law. For further information, please review the following policies:

• Policy on Equal Opportunity
• Policy on Accommodation of Persons with Disabilities
• Policy on Discriminatory Harassment

Parental Guidance

Parents can be an integral part of assisting students with transitioning into higher education and help to make sure that the student’s needs are met with OAA. We want to be transparent with the families about the student’s status in relation to our services. Here are some ways in which parents can support their students. These include, but are not limited to:

• Emotional support-Understand that while although you can’t care for your student the same way you’ve done in the past due to legal statuses, they could still use encouragement to get through transitioning into using OAA services, especially if they are new to a higher education environment.
• Communication-Be sure to talk to your student periodically to see their progress. See how you could assist them at home and outside of the school environment. Talk to each other if situations are getting lost in translation.
• Empathizing with them-Recognize that you may or may not share your student’s disability status, and as such put yourself in their shoes in order to help them find what resources best fits the student’s needs. This is not about you, but your student and their well-being in a higher education environment, so try to give them the space they need in order use OAA resources to flourish here at PLU.