The Enlightened Parent

February 2011

The second-year student

housing edition!

Off-campus housing tips Deciphering a rental

listing Second year residence

opportunities

And MORE!

Plus… Valentine’s Day date

ideas for students A great summer job

opportunity

Fun February activities

Inside every issue…

Featured Service: Department of Housing and

Conference Services Parent Perspective: Helen

Brydges

This month in Ottawa

Dates and deadlines

carleton.ca/parents

The Enlightened Parent 2

Last month the Rideau River Residence Association hosted the annual Residence Idol competition.

DATES AND DEADLINES

February 1 Application for fall residence opens at 10 a.m.

February 16 Residence applications from current Carleton students close, to reopen after lottery

February 18 April exam schedule available online

February 18-26 Deferred fall exams to be written

February 21 Statutory holiday, university closed

February 21-25 Winter break, classes suspended

February 25 Residence room lottery for current Carleton students

Happy Valentine’s Day Budget-friendly dates for your student

If your student is celebrating Feb. 14 with a special someone, here are ideas for some

inexpensive, but special ways for them to spend their day. Date 1: Skating on the Rideau Canal, Beavertails In Ottawa, there is no cuter date than skating on the canal. By Valentine’s Day, the Rideau Canal should be open all the way from Carleton to downtown. Your student can skate under the stars, stopping to get a Beavertail at one of many vendors along the way. Cost: $13 for two Beavertails and two hot chocolates Date 2: Movie date at the Mayfair Theatre There’s nothing quite like the traditional movie date. The Mayfair is a cozy theatre just a short bus ride from campus. From Feb. 12–14, the Mayfair is playing films like “The Tourist” and “Love and Other Drugs” so students can snuggle up and enjoy

the show. Cost: $25 for tickets and a large popcorn

Date 3: The artistic afternoon Your student and their special someone can experience an afternoon of cultural indulgence in downtown Ottawa. A romantic afternoon can start with a trip to the National Art Gallery, where admission for Carleton students is free. After, they can stroll over to Le Moulin de Provence, a popular café in the Byward Market and share an inexpensive but delicious lunch of warm quiche and French pastries. Cost: Anywhere from $5 to $25 for food, based on how many delicious desserts your student buys. Date 4: Date night in residence Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to cost anything! Students can start off with a nice dinner in the residence dining hall, where they often serve an assortment of Valentine’s Day-themed desserts. Head back to residence where couples can watch a downloaded movie on their computer. Make a bag of popcorn in the floor’s common microwave, and students are set for an evening in. Cost: Free!

This month in Ottawa Feb. 7-9: Through a Global Lens photography exhibit Run by the International Student Services Office, this photography contest is a way for the CU community to showcase their worldwide experiences. The exhibit in February is a chance for your student to see the art and vote on their favourite piece! carleton.ca/isso Feb. 4-21: Winterlude Winterlude is Ottawa’s most famous winter festival and attracts thousands of people from all around the world. Free events like ice sculpture competitions and concerts are just a short skate away. canadascapital.gc.ca

The Enlightened Parent 3

The beds in Frontenac House are double beds, unlike the twin beds offered in first-year residence.

Second-year Student Housing Check out the next two pages for valuable information, tips and advice

regarding living arrangements for your student’s second year!

HOUSING OPTIONS

1. Living in Residence For students going into second year, there is the option to remain living in residence. Frontenac House was opened in 2008 and has occupancy for 250 students. Unlike first-year residences, all the rooms in Frontenac are suite style (see room layout image above). It is important to note that upper year students in residence are not required to purchase a meal plan, but the option is available for them if they choose. If your student has a friend that they want to live with but doesn’t want to leave the comforts of on campus living, applying to Frontenac may be for them! The application for residence opens on Feb.1 at 10 a.m. Second year residence is not guaranteed, and spots are distributed based on a priority and lottery system. To be considered for the priority round of residence spaces, students must apply by Feb. 16, 2011, and have a GPA of 10.0 (A-) or above.

Left: Frontenac House in the summer Right: the room layout of Frontenac House suites

2. Off-campus Living The second option for students is to move off campus. If your student has a group of friends that they want to live with, encourage them to look into renting a house or townhouse off campus. Depending on the number of friends they want to live with, students can rent an entire house or just a smaller apartment-style section. There are several student-friendly areas found close to the Carleton campus. Remember that off campus hous-ing goes on a first-come, first-serve basis, so encourage your student to start their search sooner rather than later.

1. Ottawa West 2. Hunt Club 3. South Keys 4. Gloucester

5. Orleans 6. Rockcliffe

7. Vanier 8. Alta Vista 9. Billings Bridge 10. Mooney’s Bay

11. Ottawa South 12. Lowertown

13. Centretown 14. Glebe 15. Civic 16. Westboro

17. Experimental Farm

Bolded areas represent the most common off campus living

locations for Carleton students

The Enlightened Parent 4

Even after their second year, students can apply to live in Leeds House for third and fourth year.

Off-Campus Housing Advice Must-have information for the student house hunt

1. Ask the important financial questions before you sign the lease. These can include questions like:

When is rent due and how much is it? Are utilities and parking extra? In what way does the landlord want you to pay your rent (deposit, post-dated cheques, etc.)? What are the rules regarding subletting? What are you and the landlord responsible for?

2. Location, location, location Check the location’s proximity to:

The Carleton University campus - can you walk or bike or will you have to take public transportation? Bus stops - how long will it take to get to campus? To downtown? Grocery stores, Laundromats and other facilities

3. Check the condition of the property Ensure that you know the following information:

Do all the locks on the doors work? If there are fire alarms/extinguishers Are there enough electrical outlets? Are water pressure and hot water sufficient? What type of heating is there?

Tips compiled from Carleton’s Housing and Conference Services website, carleton.ca/housing. For off-campus housing listings, visit carleton.ca/housing/off-campus-housing/off-campus-housing.

Deciphering an off-campus housing listing

CARLETON 613-520-2600

example@carleton.ca

1

2

3 5

6

4

1. The neighbourhood where the rental property is located. 2. The name of the landlord 3. The total rent that the tenants must pay. Since this property is for four students, they pay $500/month each in rent. 4. The date the rental contract begins. These dates vary from the beginning of April to the start of September. 5. Notes whether your student will have to pay extra for utilities. Encourage your student to discuss utilities (water, hydro, etc.) with the landlord before renting. 6. Any additional comments about the property, travel times, etc.

Here is what the listings on Carleton’s off-campus housing site look like...

The Enlightened Parent 5

Students can now apply to become part of the 2011 Summer Orientation team - turn the page to find out more!

CU Parent Perspective

Helen Brydges Proud mother of a

2010-2011

first-year Carleton

student

This is part of a monthly series written by

Helen. To read about the Brydges’

experiences from earlier in the school year,

check out our archived issues!

Welcome 2011 and I wish everyone a year filled with health, happiness, and wonderful memories! Colton is back at Carleton settling into his routines, and we’ve begun to settle back into our routines as well. We’ve been reflecting on the time we spent together over the holidays and it seems that we appreciate the time we spend together more (not that we ever took it for granted; or at least we didn’t think we did). We look forward to being back together as a family soon!

January has found us in a deep freeze at home

in Brampton, and from the reports we hear from

Colton, Ottawa is also experiencing frigid

temperatures. I find it funny that when I check the Environment Canada website to get the weather report for Brampton, I find myself looking at Ottawa as well, and commenting to my husband “Ottawa is expecting snow; or Ottawa is going to be really cold, I hope Colton stays warm.” My motherly instinct is in full gear, even though we’re miles apart. Rather than holding up in his room during the cold, Colton and his girlfriend bought skates and experienced skating on the Rideau and have taken advantage of the many warm museums. We’re now in to the second half of the school year and now that we feel like “well seasoned veterans” and have adjusted to this new life style, we are now finding ourselves looking ahead to what will soon be the end of first year! Yikes! It’s hard to believe, but true, and with that comes more planning and more decisions to make, not only by us, but most importantly, by Colton. He needs to start thinking about living arrangements for September, and choosing a major in his program. We are looking forward to February when Colton comes home for reading week and we get the opportunity to celebrate as a family my husband’s birthday which is in January and Colton’s which is in February. Again, adjustments had to be made, but we find what works best for us and embrace it!

Student Health 101 This month’s edition of Student Health 101 is now available online! Carleton parents also have access to the supplementary Parent’s Perspective edition of the newsletter. Here are the topics you can look forward to this month: A guide to healthy relationships How your student can ensure their university relationship is one built on communication and understanding.

Getting to work on your future Helpful tips on how your student can succeed in their hunt for a great job. Play it safe on spring break Ways to make sure your student has a fun and safe spring break this February. Learning from our differences Embracing diversity at the campus level.

The Enlightened Parent 6

Journalist Amanda Lindhout was the keynote speaker for Carleton’s Yes You Can! Conference last month.

Featured Service: Department of Housing and Conference Services

With the end of your student’s first year quickly approaching, it may be time for them to decide on living arrangements for next year. The Department of Housing and Conference Services is a helpful place for your student to visit to discover the variety of living arrangements available to them. When students apply for residence, they apply through the housing office. The office is then responsible for matching students with roommates, handling meal plans, and dealing with any other issues or concerns related to residence at Carleton. To see what residence accommodations are available for your student in their second year, see the “Housing Options” section on page three. In addition to handling the residence accommodations, the housing office also runs a great off-campus listings site. On this site, landlords can post the properties that

they have available, and students can easily browse through the comprehensive list that is updated daily. The listings include helpful information like price, numbers of rooms available and contact information for the landlords. When looking for off-campus living accommodation, make sure your student asks all the important questions before they move in. For more tips, see the box titled “Off Campus Housing Advice” on page four. Finally, if your student wants to find out more about off campus living, they can attend a presentation on Feb. 7 to have their questions answered. The Department of Housing is located at 261 Stormont House and can be reached at 613-520-5612 or by emailing accommodations@carleton.ca. carleton.ca/housing

Summer Job Opportunity: Summer Orientation Leader The most exciting summer job on campus! Your student can now apply to be a Summer Orientation leader for summer 2011. The Summer Orientation team is a group of nine student ambassadors who are responsible for running the Summer Orientation program. The sessions are meant to help incoming first-year stu-dents and their parents make a successful transition to university life. As well as implementing Summer Orientation days, students are hired to a specific portfolio and are responsible for completing the tasks of that portfolio throughout the summer. For first-year students, this can be an opportunity to find out more about Carleton and meet a group of great students! Some portfolio examples are Alternative Spring Break, Fall Orientation, Community Outreach, Student Affairs, Communication and Parent Outreach and more! The deadline for students to submit their application is Friday, March 4 at 4 p.m. to the Student Experience Office. For more information, your student can visit carleton.ca/seo or contact Jeremy Brzozowski at jeremy_brzozowski@carleton.ca.

The Enlightened Parent

newsletter is a monthly

publication for parents of

current Carleton students. The newsletter is produced by the

Student Experience Office within

the university.

Writer/Designer: Hilary Duff

Editor: Jan Patterson

Helpful Links

carleton.ca/parents

carleton.ca/safety

Facebook group: “Linking

Parents to Parents at

Carleton University”

Student Experience Office carleton.ca/seo Hours: 8:30-4:30

430 Tory Building seo@carleton.ca

613-520-7595

Staff:

Jan Patterson, Manager

Jeremy Brzozowski, Student Development and

First Year Co-ordinator

Kaylee Mask, Student Experience and

Community Outreach Co-ordinator

AA - Architecture

AC - Physical Recreation

AH - Alumni Hall

SP - Art Gallery

AP - Azrieli Pavilion

AT - Azrieli Theatre

CC - Colonel By Child Care

CO - Residence Commons

DH - Dundas House

DT - Dunton Tower

FH - Fieldhouse

GH - Glengarry House

GR - Grenville House

GY - Gymnasium

HP - Herzberg Laboratories

IH - Ice House

LA - Loeb Building

LE - Leeds House

LH - Lanark House

LS - Life Sciences Research

Building

MB - Maintenance Building

MC - Minto Centre

ME - Mackenzie Building

ML - MacOdrum Library

NB - Nesbitt Biology Building

NW - National Wildlife Re-

search Centre

PA - Paterson Hall

PG - Parking Garage

PH: Prescott House

RH - Renfrew House

RO - Robertson Hall

RU - Russell House

SA - Southam Hall

SC - Steacie Building

SH - Stormont House

SP - St. Patrick's Building

SR - Social Sciences

Research Building

TB - Tory Building

TC - Tennis Centre

TT - Technology and

Training Centre

UC - University Centre

The Enlightened Parent 7