On Tuesday night, College Dean Dennis DeTurck made a national address.
"Don't panic!" he said.
But DeTurck wasn't talking about the state of the nation or what to do if a house catches on fire: He was explaining to college parents across the world how to handle the stress of a child's failed Bio exam.
This is standard fare for the college-parent Webcast, a three-year tradition of broadcasting an hour-long, question-and-answer video session online offering parents a forum for concerns.
"It's kind of like Back-to-School Night," DeTurck said.
Sending a child to Penn is a major social and financial commitment, "so parents have questions," said Janet Tighe, the dean of freshmen and director of academic advising .
That's where the Webcast comes into play.
Modeled after successful summer Webcasts for incoming freshmen, this year's parent Webcast was hosted by Tighe and DeTurck and guest starred Rodin College House Dean Ken Grcich and Peter Struck, the undergraduate department chairman of Classical Studies.
The panel answered questions ranging from concerns about academic advising to daily life in the College Houses.
Although Betsy Pfeffer, mother of College freshman Ali Roland, didn't watch Tuesday's Webcast, she thinks it's a great opportunity for parents to ask the questions they can't ask their children.
"It's nice to have something in place as a safety net," Pfeffer said.
Rachel Sigman, director of the parents program, also appreciates the College's efforts to include parents in their children's education, explaining that "any information that parents can get is incredibly valuable and helpful."
While providing a forum for parent questions is key, Tighe also explained that questions are screened for appropriateness and privacy concerns. The panel won't explain on air why Becky's roommate is such a brat, or how Andrew is doing in his math class.
"We want parents to be involved and informed, but students have to act as independent beings on this campus," Tighe said.
The panel fielded questions from parents sent in by e-mail both before and during the Webcast, DeTurck said.
Another advantage to an online platform: Old Webcasts are archived on the College Web site, allowing parents to watch and learn even after the original airdate. Tighe estimated that only about 100 parents tuned in for the live discussions, but the archived Webcasts have received hundreds of hits.
Tighe has been approached by St. Joe's University and a few small liberal-arts schools about the Webcast and whether new technologies can engage the next generation of parents.
"Every school is coming to grips with the fact that snail-mail is not the best way to reach parents," she said. But parents often have "mixed technological savvy," so these Webcasts are just one way to keep parents in the loop.
