While students receive dozens of emails from UT each month, parents are not nearly as connected to the going-on’s of the University. 

The monthly Texas Parents eNewsletter provides parents with some of the only consistent insight into their children’s university experiences. However, parents have to sign up to be a member in order to receive the newsletter, an option only offered during orientation to parents whose emails are accessible to the University. 

As a result, many parents have no idea that the newsletter exists, creating difficulties for families who are not aware of these kinds of opportunities.

UT should work on ensuring that more parents know about the Texas Parents Association membership so that all UT parents can receive the same resources to support their students.

There are tiers of free and paid membership options, and the eNewsletter is part of the complimentary membership. It includes information like the academic calendar, upcoming events and a variety of other resources for families on how to best support their students.

Dr. Thiru Annaswamy, a UT parent who receives the eNewsletter, says that it was particularly helpful during his son’s freshman year, specifically for scholarship information.

“I consume information on how to send a care package to a student or what’s on the calendar, game tickets or events that may be happening on campus,” Annaswamy said.

It is important for parents, who are often unable to be physically in-person with their children, to understand the resources and opportunities available to help students with the different logistics and experiences at UT.

Surajit Kar, a UT parent who does not receive the eNewsletter, said that he receives no emails from the University at all.

“I guess what I’m wondering is, maybe as a parent, my email is not on some list where it should be?” Kar said. 

Kar is right – the University does not have one complete database of parent contact information. According to Susie Smith, Director of Texas Parents at UT, the only parents who receive information are those whose children put their email addresses in the optional “family information” space in their original application to UT.

Smith expressed her disappointment that some parents are not aware of the newsletter and referred back to the incomplete list of emails that her department has access to. 

“Unfortunately, it’s not that we’re not serving a population, it’s that we don’t necessarily have the means to do it,” Smith said. 

UT should change their university application to explain to students the purpose of including their guardian’s email address. Smith pointed out that some students will just enter their own email, causing all information intended for parents to be forwarded to themselves. However, explaining the reason for the family contact information will encourage more students to include their guardian’s email, increasing the likelihood that parents will receive resources like the newsletter.

Smith spoke highly of the newsletter’s intent and wishes that all parents received the resource.

“I think the importance of the newsletter is not just that it goes out to parents, but that it’s also serving our students.” Smith said. “We can encourage them to remind their students to register for classes, get the flu shot, check their tuition bill, etc. The purpose is to help parents help their students from enrollment to graduation.”

All UT parents should be able to support their students, not just those who know about this resource, and the newsletter should be easy to access for all. 

Garderet is a Plan II and Urban Studies sophomore from Dallas, Texas.