Student parents have always had to be the most organized people in any room, and usually the least celebrated for it. So Wichita State's new pre-orientation program, which builds belonging and connects student parents with resources before the semester begins, deserves a real nod. This isn't a flashy move. It's practical. It's the kind of thing that says, "We see that your life doesn't start and end when class does." And honestly, that's the energy more campuses could borrow. It also lines up with something we've been watching: how universities rebuild trust by being genuinely useful, not just by issuing statements. Compare that to the harder lessons in WSU Can Learn From Cornell: Rebuilding Trust Through Purpose, where purpose has to be earned through action. A pre-orientation for parents is exactly that kind of action.
Here's the thing about belonging: it's not a banner or a hashtag. It's knowing where the kid-friendly study space is before you need it. It's having a person to text when the babysitter cancels. This program gets that. It's building a bridge before the chaos hits, which is smart because the chaos will hit. That's not pessimism; that's just life. We'd tell any student parent reading this: don't see this as one more thing to attend. See it as your first win of the semester. You're not asking for a handout by showing up; you're claiming a spot in a community that's finally acting like you exist. And for the rest of us, it's a reminder that support structures matter more than individual grit. You can't "hustle harder" your way through drop-off and a 9 a.m. lecture. You need a system.
What we appreciate most is the specificity. This isn't a vague "we support families" brochure. It's a program with a purpose: connect parents with resources before day one. That's the difference between a nice idea and a functional one. It also sets a standard. When we look at other schools, like the accountability questions raised in Report Highlights Security Lapses at University Where Speaker Was Killed, it's clear that what a university prioritizes shows in the details. A school that builds a pre-orientation for parents is signaling that student success includes the kid in the stroller. That's a value statement. It's also just good planning. If you want retention, help people feel less alone in the first two weeks.
Our take is simple: this is the kind of low-glamour work that actually moves the needle. It won't make a viral headline, but it will make a student parent think, "Okay, I can do this." And that's a powerful thing to plant before a single lecture begins. The open question we're watching: how does Wichita State sustain this beyond week one? Pre-orientation is a strong start, but the real test is whether the connections made there turn into a lasting network. We'd tell any reader in a position to push for something similar on their campus: ask what happens after the pizza and icebreakers. Because belonging isn't a one-day event. It's what you build when no one's handing out a schedule.
