Dear Students.

The end of the semester–and especially Final Exam week–can be the most stressful time of the year for college students.  With wanting to be ready for the upcoming holiday season and your GPA dependent on end-of-the-term projects, presentations, and exams, the mere mention of the word “finals” can be enough to bring on stress!

Before you start agonizing over any worst-case scenarios–not passing your Physics final or coming too quickly to the deadline for your English paper–pause and start planning how you can negotiate the last week of classes and final exams, with minimal stress and positive outcomes.

Dean Anne and I want to offer you some helpful hints adapted from our colleagues at Saint Michael’s College: Karen Talentino, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Mary Masson, Director of Student Health Services.

MEET WITH PROFESSORS. Review course syllabi to ensure that you understand what will be expected on final exams, final presentations, and final projects.  If you are missing information, check with a peer from the class and speak with your professor as soon as possible. Your professor will certainly understand what the end of the semester entails. Once you have a clear sense of what is expected, it is easier to determine how much time it will take to be prepared.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF REVIEW SESSIONS AND FACULTY OFFICE HOURS. Even if you don’t have any questions, you may learn something from someone else’s questions. Collaboration is a good way to overcome feeling alone and overwhelmed.

CREATE A DETAILED CALENDAR. In this calendar, include not only exam dates and paper deadlines, but anything else in your life (gift shopping, athletic practice, meetings) that you need time to complete. Even writing it down–and color-coding, if you’re so inclined–will make everything seem more possible. Of course, you should follow through with your schedule!  It is perfectly fine to build in some social or relaxation time, but be realistic about how much time you will need to prepare for finals.

GO FOR A RUN OR WALK. Going for even a 20-minute run or walk (preferably outside, because the cool air will wake you up) releases feel-good endorphins that will boost your mood and can help quiet an over-active mind. Try to exercise before you study so that you can hit the books with a clear mind.

CLEAN YOUR DESK (or find a study space in the library or other spot on campus). Sometimes, de-cluttering your space is all you need to de-clutter your mind.  Take some time to clear out your desk space completely, and you’ll create a place that allows you to focus on your studying.

TALK IT OUT. Don’t keep your anxiety bottled up inside. Sit down after dinner with friends for a chat. Talk them through your plan for finals week, tell them what’s stressing you out, and ask  them for any advice they might have. Often, verbalizing the things that are filling our brains with anxiety–especially in the company of others–robs them of their worry-inducing power.

EAT HEALTHY. Make time for regular meals, and try to eat healthy snacks (fruit, nuts) rather than starchy, salty, and sweet snacks.  Your brain will perform better, if your body is healthy.

PERFORM AN ACT OF KINDNESS. Sometimes, doing something nice for another person is the best way to stop thinking about your own problems. If you have a little free time, spend an hour volunteering on campus or in town. A simple act, like folding laundry or getting a snack for a friend, can have a very positive effect.

TAKE A SOCIAL MEDIA BREAK. Spending too much time on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr when exams are looming can only add to your already-mounting stress levels. Turn off your Facebook email notifications so that you’re not tempted to log on, and if you’re really having trouble, try LeechBlock, a Firefox add-on that blocks time-wasting sites.

LISTEN TO MUSIC. Taking a break to listen to your favorite music before you study can help you relax.  (You can also relax by meditating and dancing [Remember what Michelle Dorrance and her friends taught us through tap-dancing!].)

GET ENOUGH SLEEP. A good night’s sleep allows you to confront the day’s stress more easily. When you are tired, you are less patient and easily agitated which can increase stress. Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Practicing good sleep hygiene along with the above (and other) stress-lowering strategies can help improve your quality of sleep.

Remember, take good care of yourself and you will be prepared to be the innovative, creative, critical thinkers and problem solvers that your professors and all of us at SVC know you have become.

Now, go ahead and rock the end of the semester and those finals!

Dean Anne and Provost Al

While they may not always enjoy the food on campus, they realized that many other colleges do not offer the number of meal plans, variety, or conveniences we enjoy.  They made note of how easy it is for our students to meet with faculty one-on-one, compared to larger schools. Members of other SGA organizations were impressed that our college president actually takes the time to meet with our group on a regular basis.

Sometimes we tend to think that young people are not as appreciative as they should be today.  We hear a lot of talk about the “millennial generation” or “generation Y” and how they take everything for granted.  While this may be true for some, I haven’t found it to be true for most.

Our bus drivers who daily transport students up and down the hill to the Mansion or the Healthcare Education Center downtown often share how polite our students are – always saying “Good Morning” and “Thank you”.  During our trip to New Hampshire, the SGA students repeatedly thanked me for taking the time to advise the trip and stopping for dinner on the way home.

While many young people might seem self-involved, we see the positive and appreciative person their parents and families have raised.  In conversations with students, we hear how much they understand the sacrifices their families have made to send them to college.  When we ask students what they fear most about failing, they share it’s the fear of disappointing their family. This appreciation is what fuels them to work hard and seek success.

As your students return home for the various holidays this time of year, please know – whether they share it or not – that they are thankful for this opportunity to attend college.  It might be hidden within bags of laundry or imbedded somewhere in their numerous stories they’ll share, but it is there.

As you may have heard, at the exit meeting for their early October site visit, the Visiting Team members for our voluntary Nursing accreditation body, the National League for Nursing Accrediting Agency (NLNAC), delivered an unfavorable preliminary finding. Everyone at SVC is disappointed by this finding, and the College is investigating all options to challenge–and even appeal–this early recommendation. This initial finding is the first step in a long process that will extend well into the spring 2013 semester. Until that time, please note that all of our Nursing programs are fully accredited by the NLNAC.

In addition to the NLNAC Visiting Team, the Vermont State Board of Nursing (VT State BON) sent two officers to join in the site visit. It is very important to note that, at the same exit meeting, those officers delivered a favorable finding, approving our Nursing programs for an additional 3 years. This initial VT State BON recommendation will be finalized soon and certainly before the end of the fall 2012 semester. (VT State BON approval is essential in that it allows for progression to licensure and employment.)

It is extremely important to note these initial findings and recommendations are not yet final. So, while it is easy to leap to conclusions, it is better to pause and reflect on the context provided by both agencies. Representatives spoke at length about our continuous improvement with respect to curriculum development, physical accommodations (e.g., the new Healthcare Education Center), student services (e.g., our healthcare tutor who is a professional in Nursing), the alignment of mission and philosophy for SVC and the Division of Nursing, faculty and staff, and the systematic plan to use data to drive decisions.

Above all, none of what took place affects our regional accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). ALL of SVC’s programs continue in NEASC accreditation through 2019 when, after a ten-year cycle that began in 2009, SVC will be in line for reaccreditation by NEASC–as has been the case since the College began granting degrees. I encourage all of you to seek the facts and work with our Nursing faculty members, SVC faculty members, SVC staff and administrators so that, together, we may proceed to offer excellent Nursing programs that will earn both VT State BON approval and accreditation.

Everyone at SVC is proud of our Nursing graduates and current Nursing students, and everyone believes that our Nursing programs play a significant role in improving healthcare in our region.

Dr. Al DeCiccio

Provost
Southern Vermont College
adeciccio@svc.edu

Read my blog . . . http://www.svc.edu/such_stuff_as_dreams_are_made_on/

It has been a spectacular opening for SVC.  We’ve welcomed our largest incoming class and the total number of students attending SVC at this time is at an all time high.  Retention rates are the best they’ve ever been, and the grade point averages (GPA’s) of our returning students have risen to new heights.

We opened our new Healthcare Education Center (HEC) just a mile off campus for nursing, radiological sciences, and healthcare management students.  Housed in a renovated textile mill, the state-of-the-art facility boasts beautiful exposed brick walls with ceiling to floor windows overlooking the grandeur that is Southern Vermont.

Mid-October targets the groundbreaking of our new residence hall – the second in five years.  This 140 bed facility designed for upperclassmen will offer apartment style living with single bedrooms and kitchens.  It will also be home to a new fitness center and quite honestly cannot open soon enough.

But record numbers and new facilities aside, there is another story that the College is very proud of.

This week the Chronicle of Higher Education, the major news service for American colleges and universities, published a front page story about Southern Vermont College.  Entitled “Fire in the Belly U.”, the story focuses on SVC’s Pipeline into Partnership initiative.  The Pipelines project is a unique program designed to further the progression of vulnerable students to and through college.  An overview of Pipelines into Partnership and the Chronicle of Higher Education article can be found on the College’s website here…http://www.svc.edu/pipelines/.

Growth and progress are the hallmarks of SVC. They represent the tenacity of our students as it does of the College itself.  Once referred to as the “little college that can”, we are becoming known as the little College that does.

This year, however, is different.  Today my oldest daughter is attending her own New Student Orientation with her Mom on a campus far from here.  As I am preparing my fourth SVC Orientation, she is attending her first.  I wonder if my planning serves as a distraction from the shared mixed emotions our new parents will be experiencing as well in the coming weeks.

My heart goes out to all of you.  I feel your pain…pleasure…pride…and excitement.

This is an amazing time for students – a new chapter bringing so many challenges, choices, growth, and change.  The conversations they’ll have with new classmates during orientation will possibly become the foundation of life long friendships.

But what about us parents?  Do we continue to grow and change?  Can we make new friends too?  Of course we can.

It is SVC’s hope that our student’s families feel a stronger tie to campus then tuition payments.  As parents, you are your own community.  SVC’s Parent and Family Connections is a program designed to keep you and the College community connected.  Our new Facebook page, Southern Vermont College Parent and Family Connections, is one way for parents to stay in touch with the College and other parents.  Homecoming and Family Weekend is September 21-23 is also a wonderful time to connect with other families, making new friends and relationships.

As we tell students over and over, college is what you make of it.  The more you invest the more rewards you’ll reap. The same is true for us as parents and family members.  By staying involved with the college, and in touch with other families, you can fully enjoy this experience.

Join us. Get involved and say in touch.  Let’s all enjoy our journeys together.

Students from such culturally enriched areas of our country such as southern California, Miami, Florida, New York City, Texas, as well as from Bermuda, and Africa among others find their way to Bennington every year to study on our small, close knit campus.

The discussions and celebrations of diversity on our campus are not limited to race, ethnicity and religion.  Gender, sexuality, socio-economic status and even age are additional aspects of diversity that the college pays special attention to as well.  Our campus is only a small representation of our larger world after all, and all are welcomed.

In his book, Diversity and the College Experience, education blogger Aaron Thompson, professor of sociology at Eastern Kentucky University, offers valuable insight into why diversity matters on campus:

• Diversity expands worldliness. College might be the first time you have had the opportunity to have real interaction with people from diverse groups. A college campus is like opening the door to the entire world without traveling anywhere else.
• Diversity enhances social development. Interacting with people from a variety of groups widens your social circle by expanding the pool of people with whom you can associate and develop relationships. Consider how boring your conversations would be if you only had friends who had everything in common with you.
• Diversity prepares students for work in a global society. No matter what profession you enter, you’ll find yourself working with employers, employees, coworkers, customers and clients from diverse backgrounds—worldwide. By experiencing diversity in college, you are laying the groundwork to be comfortable working and interacting with a variety of individuals of all nationalities.
• Interactions with people different from ourselves increase our knowledge base. Research consistently shows that we learn more from people who are different from us. Just as you “think harder” when you encounter new material in a college course, you will do the same when you interact with a diverse group of people.
• Diversity enhances self-awareness. Learning from people whose backgrounds and experiences differ from your own sharpens your self-knowledge and self-insight by allowing you to compare and contrast your life experiences with others. By being more self-aware, you are more capable of making informed decisions about your academic and professional future.
• Diversity enriches the multiple perspectives developed by a liberal arts education. Diversity magnifies the power of a general education by helping to liberate you from the tunnel vision of an ethnocentric and egocentric viewpoint. By moving beyond yourself, you gain a wider perspective of the world around you and a more complete view of your place in it.

Attending a college that strives to create a diverse student population helps students understand the educational, vocational, and personal benefits that diversity can bring. SVC’s incorporates social justice and diverse understanding into its community on a daily basis, continually striving to be a campus of world wide thinkers full of social, and personal, awareness.

How many of us remember that Maxwell House coffee commercial when the college student returns home for Christmas early in the morning?  The parents awake to the aroma of fresh coffee brewing and run down to the kitchen for a wonderfully heart-warming holiday surprise.

Aahhh, the magic of television.

When your students arrive home from college for the holiday break, chances are they are going to be a little different than when you dropped them off in August.  They have experienced independence and freedom on campus, keep late night schedules, eat and sleep whenever they choose, and may have a few new opinions and views on life.

Understand that when students come home there can be a period of readjustment.  They have been used to the freedoms and autonomy campus life offers.  There may also be some readjustment for siblings as well.  They may need to recall what it was like to share space, the television, and your attention.

Therefore…there might be some readjustment for you too.

One of the best ways to prepare for this is to have some conversations with your student before they come home.  To make the transition go smoothly you may want to consider discussing the following:

• Ask them is there anything you should know before they get home.  What color is their hair? Are there any new tattoos or piercings you should know about?  New relationships?  How about their grades?  Getting these items out and on the table early makes for a less tense holiday dinner and more relaxing break.
• Share any holiday plans upfront so that everyone is on board. Is family coming to visit, or are we all traveling to visit Aunt Sally in Minnesota?
• What are some of their favorite traditions that you want to make sure you do?
• What are their plans for the break?  Will they be working a job?  Visiting friends?  How are you going to share the family car?
• Are there appointments that need to be scheduled?  Break is a great time to schedule overdue doctor or dental appointments.

It’s also helpful to discuss and negotiate the ground rules for over break.  Many parents subscribe to the idea that “Nothing good happens after midnight”, but students are used to starting their evenings when you are probably going to bed.  Will you have a reasonable curfew for them?  How late is too late to sleep in the morning?  “Can I order a pizza at 11:30 at night?”

Equally important is to ask and listen to what their semester has been like.  It doesn’t matter if they are a freshmen or a senior, the chances are they have some great stories and experiences to share.

We here at Southern Vermont College wish all of our families a happy and safe holiday season and an enjoyable semester break.  Enjoy the time to get to know the person your student is becoming.  The changes might be slight or major, and you might be proud or a little confused.  Be sure to acknowledge what you see, especially the positive growth and achievements.

Who knows, maybe they will surprise you with freshly brewed coffee and warm muffins in the morning.

Mid-term exams have just finished and students are settling in for the last half of the fall semester.  Hopefully many of you are hearing from your students and are receiving news about academic successes or struggles at this half-way point.

All students have confidential access to the SVC Scholars Portal where they can log into a College website and find their mid-term grade for each class.  Students are reminded that this is only a reflection of where they stand as of mid-semester.  Having this information lets a students know where they are at and if they need to “step-up” their studying in any particular area.

The second half of the fall semester always appears to be more stressful than other times of the year.  The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting colder, the holidays are getting closer, and paper and project deadlines begin to loom larger.

Now is the best time of year for family members to check in with their students a little more regularly.  A consistent boost of encouragement and occasional care package from home can make a big difference to a student hitting the mid-semester blues.  Discuss plans for Thanksgiving and end of the year holiday celebrations, giving them something to look forward to.  If your student commutes to campus, an extra conversation about how classes are going and how campus life is treating them can go a long way.

Starting the week of November 7 students will begin the process of registering for spring classes, making appointments with academic advisers and discussing what courses are the best fits for next semester.  After meeting with their advisers, students then return to the Scholars Portal and register for those classes online.

See…spring is just around the corner!

Everyone feels that extra pinch during this time of year.  The Mountaineer Events Board and Office of Student Life offer additional programming and activities for students to relax and let off steam because we realize what this time of year can be like.

As always, if you have any concerns about how your student is fairing on campus, do not hesitate to contact the Dean of Students Office or Counseling Services.

Next Month:  Coming Home for the Holidays!

And what a great start it’s been.  Along with SVC’s largest incoming class ever, returning students were welcomed back to many campus changes as well.  Our Library received a fantastic make-over, with a more contemporary looking space, meeting the growing need for study groups and social learning.  The College has purchased a number of new vehicles for athletics and student life transportation, adding not only safety factors, but air conditioning as well for all those long trips!

By the end of September, Hunter Hall will have a new café available for light meals and snacks every evening until midnight.

But the most exciting news this time of year is always hearing about how students spent their summer months.

Business and Criminal Justice majors share their experiences working internships. Nursing students discuss their clinical practicum at hometown hospitals.  Some students talked about working on farms for the first time in New York and Vermont, life guarding from the coast of Maine to the Jersey Shore, and others served as camp counselors across the country. One student returned to China this summer for a month after having spent a semester internship there last fall.

Then there are all those students who remained on campus over the summer mentoring dozens and dozens of high school students; running SVC’s Upward Bound Program, coaching a variety of sports camps, and coordinating our Healthcare Academy Program, sponsored in partnership with Wheelock College in Boston.

For many students, learning continues after the end of the academic year.  Most of this experiential learning is not connected to academic credit.  Students seek out and take advantage of these opportunities because of a driven desire to take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it into the real world.

This is what is exciting about education – putting together what we’ve learned into practical use.  It makes coming back in the fall to all of those classroom hours, exams, and papers worthwhile.

Here’s to another fun and exciting academic year.  Cheers… here we go again!

This reaction is totally normal.  If a student wasn’t at least a little nervous about starting this new chapter in their lives, then we would be a little concerned.  During New Student Orientation Weekend at SVC, we will address many of these concerns, and have put together a number of events allowing students to get to know each other in a supportive atmosphere.  There are also a number of supports available throughout the school year,  such as our Residence Life Staff,  The Academic Success Center,  and Counseling Services to name just a few.   Below is a link to our latest New Student News and Notes newsletter.  Written by SVC’s Director of Counseling Services, Mike Goodwin, many of these concerns and supports are discussed.

If you have any questions regarding your student’s struggles in finding their place here at Southern Vermont College, please never hesitate to contact my office at (802) 447-6323.

http://www.svc.edu/student/Newsletter-V1-Issue2.pdf