Understanding meal plans

University Housing and Dining’s goal is to provide wholesome, healthy, and tasty foods prepared daily to meet residents’ dietary and nutritional needs. The staff is committed to exceeding the expectations of dining guests and welcomes comments, suggestions, and requests.

Students who need help with dietary accommodations, food allergies, navigating the Market Places, or making a nutritious plate and those who have other nutrition-related questions or concerns can contact Laura Croteau, University Dining’s registered dietitian, at laura-croteau@uiowa.edu or 319-353-2299.

Federal privacy law may limit scope of conversations

As a parent, you should understand your rights and the rights of your student, as well as the limitations of your involvement in your student’s life away from home under the law— regardless of who is paying college expenses.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) limits the information that can be shared with you without your student’s express consent. University staff members will be able to discuss policies and regulations in general terms but will be unable to provide specific information about your student. Please urge your student to work with staff members when concerns arise and maintain open communication with you to ensure a positive and enriching living experience.

More details about FERPA are available at bit.ly/uihdferpa.

Get a job, stay in school

Research indicates that first-year students are more likely to stay in school if they work on campus. Such jobs can provide a supportive and nonthreatening environment where students learn to interface comfortably with the public, understand the value of teamwork, develop time management skills, and build self-esteem.

The Division of Student Life offers plenty of employment opportunities with flexible scheduling for work-study and part-time hourly students. Also, a nationally recognized UI program called IOWA GROW (Guided Reflection on Work) seeks to make student employment a high-impact activity by facilitating brief, structured conversations between student employees and their supervisors to help students connect the skills and knowledge they are gaining in the classroom with the work they are doing—and vice versa.

For more information about jobs in the Division of Student Life, including those in housing and dining, visit studentlifejobs.uiowa.edu.