For Parents!
Family Dismissal Procedures
On move-in day, families of New Students will get to participate in the excitement of O-Week for a while as they help unpack their student's bags and attend lunch at Martel College. Afterward, families will have a few minutes to say their final goodbyes to their New Students before leaving Martel College. We know that leaving your New Student can be extremely difficult and emotional, but it is important to exit Martel College when we dismiss you. Once you say your final goodbyes during the allotted time, you will not be allowed to re-enter Martel until after O-Week. This ensures that your New Student can focus on making new friends and transitioning to college life throughout the week!
After you leave Martel, you will be shuttled to Tutor Field House. There, you will be welcomed to Rice University by President Reginald DesRoches and Dean Bridgett Gorman. You will also have the chance to visit information tables and ask whatever questions you may have about Rice to the faculty members present! A more in-depth schedule of Parent Orientation will be sent in the Trader Jo-Week Information Packet.
A Letter from the Trader Jo-Week Coords to Families, Guardians, and Loved Ones
Dear Families, Guardians, and Loved Ones of New Students,
We are more excited than imaginable to welcome your New Student to Martel College. We're confident that throughout O-Week and their first year at Martel, they'll develop a love for Martel as deep as ours! Martel is a loving, diverse community of over 400 students (including your New Student) and has a culture that focuses on deep connections and family spirit. They are matriculating into a truly wonderful community.
Throughout O-Week, your New Student will be introduced to all of the resources Rice has to offer, including our Center for Career Development, Office of Academic Advising, and Wellbeing & Counseling Center. While a lot of time during O-Week is spent reviewing the opportunities Rice affords its students, your New Student will also participate in activities geared toward helping them build friendships with their O-Week Groups and other members of Martel College. They'll also create meaningful relationships with upperclassmen, who will help introduce them to the culture at Martel and other Residential Colleges, extracurricular opportunities, and answer any questions they have about Rice. These upperclassmen, also called "Advisors," are dedicated to the success of your New Student and will be a support for them throughout their first year and beyond!
We know that sending your New Student to college is scary, but rest assured they are in great hands. We, your Trader Jo-Week Coordinators, have spent countless hours reviewing their New Student forms, creating their roommate/suitemate pairings, placing them in an O-week group, and meticulously planning O-Week in general. We are beyond excited for them to join the Martel family and are ready to embrace them with open arms!
With love,
Amanda, Claire, and Jaclynn
Trader Jo-Week Coordinators