Photo by Rebecca Barger/MCT

Phone home: More college students talk to parents regularly

Jennifer Burk

MCT

With her cell phone to her ear, sophomore Lindsey Wilckens walked through Mercer University’s campus last week venting about the test she just took in her New Testament class.

Listening on the other end was her mom, Karon.

“My mom and I talk every day. She calls me or I call her,” she said.

Their conversations vary, covering topics such as upcoming tests, events, her brother and financial needs.

An increasing number of college students stay in touch with their parents on a regular basis, according to a College Parents of America survey. Three in 4 college students communicate with their parents two to three times per week, and 1 in 3 talk on at least a daily basis, the survey said.

Jim Boyle, president of College Parents of America, said the increased frequency is due to technology making it easier to communicate and students’ desire to talk to parents for advice.

Cell phones with unlimited calling and nationwide coverage have virtually eliminated the concept of a long-distance call, he said. E-mail also makes it easier for students and parents to keep in touch.

“In the 1970s when I went to college, there was a phone in each room, but it was really only used for incoming calls, and anyone who made an outgoing call lined up at a pay phone to do so,” Boyle said. “And it was sort of a Sunday afternoon tradition to make a weekly call to your parents.”

Conversations were typically short because of the line of students waiting to call their parents, he said.

This generation of college students likes to communicate more with their parents than previous generations, Boyle said.

“Beyond the ease of communication, there is the desire of the student to get advice about the handling of academic and social challenges, and also to ask questions and advice when it comes to their personal health and finances.”

Bruce Harshbarger, vice president for student affairs at Georgia College & State University, said he talks to his daughter, a freshman at Harvard University, more than he talked to his own parents in college.

“Anytime she’s got a walk on campus of like 10 minutes, we’ll get a call,” he said. “Used to be when I went to college, I talked to my parents when I had something to share. It’s kind of like the parents are the virtual strolling partner now.”

Harshbarger said another way he communicates with his daughter is through iChat, a video instant messaging service.

“We’ve met roommates that way, and we’ve seen a new item of clothing she’s bought,” he said. “The last e-mail I got was last semester’s bill. Some things never change.”

The communication has helped bridge the distance between Milledgeville and Cambridge, Mass.

“Really it doesn’t feel like she’s been that far away,” he said.

Kathryn Quirk, a freshman at Wesleyan College, said she calls her dad every day, that is, if he doesn’t call her first.

“He’s like my other best friend,” she said.

She said conversations can go on as long as two hours. Her dad offers help and support, as well as comfort, she said.

“It’s just a friendly voice from home,” said Quirk, who is from Killeen, Texas.

Shane DuBay, a junior at Mercer, said he talks to his dad every other day, calling whenever he feels like it. He said they often talk about schoolwork and his performance on Mercer’s soccer team.

His dad, Paul DuBay, said he talks much more frequently with his son than he did with his dad. He said he spoke with his father about two times per month, and that was only to ask for money.

“It’s a lot more convenient staying in touch with your child now,” he said.

Katelyn Dellinger, a Mercer junior, said she talks to her mom about five times each day. She calls when she gets out of class, whenever she’s driving in the car, or if she’s lonely or bored.

Parents have become so used to frequent conversation that if they don’t hear from their child regularly, they sometimes call the campus police to investigate.

Mercer Police Chief Gary Collins said he’ll get calls three or four times a year from worried parents.

The police then will check on the student to make sure everything is OK, he said.

“Most of the time, they haven’t had the time (to check in),” Collins said. “They’re busy doing something else.”