The Enlightened Parent
carleton.ca/parents
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
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The Enlightened Parent
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

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
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
Last month the Rideau River Residence Association hosted the annual Residence Idol competition.
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The Enlightened Parent
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
Left: Frontenac
House in the
summer
Right: the room
layout of
Frontenac House
suites
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.
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
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 apartmentstyle section. There are several studentfriendly areas found close to the Carleton
campus. Remember that off campus housing goes on a first-come, first-serve basis,
so encourage your student to start their
search sooner rather than later.
The beds in Frontenac House are double beds, unlike the twin beds offered in first-year residence.
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The Enlightened Parent
Deciphering an off-campus housing listing
Here is what the listings on Carleton’s off-campus housing site look like...
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2
CARLETON
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613-520-2600
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4
[email protected]
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Off-Campus Housing Advice
Must-have information for the student house hunt
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.

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-campushousing/off-campus-housing.
Even after their second year, students can apply to live in Leeds House for third and fourth year.
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The Enlightened Parent
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!
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
Welcome 2011 and I wish everyone a year
the end of first year! Yikes! It’s hard to believe, but
filled with health, happiness, and wonderful
true, and with that comes more planning and more
memories! Colton is back at Carleton settling into
decisions to make, not only by us, but most importantly,
his routines, and we’ve begun to settle back into
by Colton. He needs to start thinking about living
our routines as well. We’ve been reflecting on
the time we spent together over the holidays and arrangements for September, and choosing a major in
his program.
it seems that we appreciate the time we spend
together more (not that we ever took it for
We are looking forward to February when Colton
granted; or at least we didn’t think we did). We
comes home for reading week and we get the
look forward to being back together as a family
opportunity to celebrate as a family my husband’s
soon!
birthday which is in January and Colton’s which is in
January has found us in a deep freeze at home
February. Again, adjustments had to be made, but we
in Brampton, and from the reports we hear from find what works best for us and embrace it!
Colton, Ottawa is also experiencing frigid
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.
Students can now apply to become part of the 2011 Summer Orientation team - turn the page to find out more!
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The Enlightened Parent
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 students 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 [email protected].
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
[email protected].
carleton.ca/housing
Journalist Amanda Lindhout was the keynote speaker for Carleton’s Yes You Can! Conference last month.
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The Enlightened Parent
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
Helpful Links
carleton.ca/parents
carleton.ca/safety
Facebook group: “Linking
Parents to Parents at
Carleton University”
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 Research Centre
PA - Paterson Hall
PG - Parking Garage
Student Experience Office
carleton.ca/seo
430 Tory Building
613-520-7595
Hours: 8:30-4:30
[email protected]
Staff:
Jan Patterson, Manager
Jeremy Brzozowski, Student Development and
First Year Co-ordinator
Kaylee Mask, Student Experience and
Community Outreach Co-ordinator
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
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