Back-to-Campus Readiness: Essential Legal Tips for College Students and Their Families

College tours have not changed much over the decades.  Walk around the campus for an hour and a half, passing 37 dining halls, but not stopping to eat once. Check.  Experience the college library and all of the quiet floors where no one is allowed to speak.  Check. Squeeze into a sample dorm room which was built in 1963 and has not changed a lick since. Check.  March past an engineering lab filled with serious looking equipment. Check.  I was hoping one of the robots in that lab would start to go haywire and take over the building, you know, to spice up the tour.  My daughter thought that was funny. 

What is not funny is the surprise that many parents experience when a health issue impacts their college student.  Instead of the free exchange of information from a college infirmary, a father and mother may hear deafening silence.  That is because their 18 year old child is no longer a minor.  HIPAA privacy laws may cause colleges to limit the release of health information without express consent.   

So how do we avoid these issues?  Simple.  Have your child sign a health care proxy and power of attorney.  Parents can be named as representatives in both documents, although the health care proxy only allows one person to be appointed at a time.  With both documents in place, any healthcare or financial problem can be addressed by parents. 

College is quasi-adulthood.  Banking, apartment leases, living with other people and figuring out transportation are all part of the college experience.  Watching your child handle life’s annoyances and allergens independently and with growing confidence is part of a parent’s journey.  Providing them with the support they need is also important. 

Your college student should have a bank account that allows for parental transfers and savings options that holds earnings from their jobs or paid internships.  Make sure that these accounts are either co-owned by a parent or have a parent named as a beneficiary.   If your child is bringing a car to campus, call your auto insurer to gain clarity about coverage, umbrella policy options and cost.   

Picture this:  you are a college junior and you are sitting in a non-descript office.  Pieces of long, legal paper are placed in front of you.  The word “LEASE” is right there on page one.  Underneath that word are clauses related to rent, term, obligations, limitations, utilities, termination and security deposit.  Letting your child handle the lease signing is one way to deal with this legal transaction.  A better option is working with your child to understand how a lease works and what these clauses really mean.  For more involved living arrangements, including renting a house with multiple friends – a lawyer could review the documents. 

Living with people is not always easy.  College roommates may not get along, but most disagreements can be handled by a decent R.A. in the dorm.  Off campus, setting up a very simple agreement for roommates or housemates to share costs and outline responsibilities will save a lot of aggravation down the road. 

Target may have most of what a college student needs, but it does not have everything.  Parents still have teach their children about how the law intersects with their lives.  Following these basic steps will protect your student and give them an appreciation for practical problem solving.  Contact the professionals at The Feller Group, P.C. today for more guidance on college legal planning.