Parents, guardians & supporters

Becoming a university student—especially for the first time—can be a significant life change, and having a support system can make a huge difference. Here, we offer you a few tips and resources to guide you in your supporting role.

Being a student supporter

Supporters want the best for their students and want them to succeed—and we want that too. Although assisting students with navigating university processes for the first time can be helpful (e.g., with registration), it is also important that students are empowered to find their own way. One approach we recommend is that you give students space to learn independently while also making yourself available for questions if they need support.

Creating community

Forming new relationships and finding a sense of belonging can help students succeed at university. As a supporter, you can encourage students to connect with others and build a community at UVic. Here are a few ideas you could suggest:

• join a club/organization or a Vikes Intramurals sports team
• attend special events and lectures (the UVic Events calendar has a helpful search filter)
• get to know fellow students in classes or in residence (if they are living on campus)

If you are concerned that the student in your life is having a difficult time finding a community at UVic, please encourage them to speak with an academic adviser. Our advisers are happy to help students find opportunities for making connections that will allow them to create a community here.

Protecting student privacy

As academic advisers, we want students to know that they can come to us for help and that their privacy will be protected. To that end, here are a few notes about student privacy for supporters to keep in mind:

• British Columbia's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act limits the information that we can disclose to anyone other than the student in question
• if a student wishes to include someone else in their academic advising session (e.g., a parent, a sibling, a partner, a spouse), the student must sign a consent form. The student must present this form when they book an appointment (see the Consent to Participate in an Advising Consultation form)
• if a student is unable to communicate with Academic Advising regarding their own record, they may designate a proxy to act on their behalf (see the Academic Advising Proxy form)