Generations - January 2024

Returning to Campus

The residence halls reopen for returning students on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 8 a.m. Students should remember to bring their keys and ID to campus with them when they return, in order to access their space. Students may sign in guests to assist them with settling into their space. Students and families may park in the Juniper, Spruce, or Furness parking lots to unload their belongings. Parking in university lots is limited to 15 minutes to ensure spaces are available for other students who need to unload their belongings. Learn more about parking near campus.

Terra Market will open for dinner service on Jan. 21 at 4 p.m., and students with a meal plan can begin accessing their meal plan dining dollars at that time. Normal dining hours will resume on the first day of classes, Jan. 22. 

If students need to return earlier than Sunday, Jan. 21, they may petition for an early arrival date by emailing reslife@uarts.edu with their reason for requesting early arrival. Students who are approved to move on campus early will be charged a fee of $50 per day for each day they are on campus before Jan. 21. (The earliest a resident may petition to move back to campus is Jan. 19.)

UArts Alerts & Campus Crisis Response

In any setting, a crisis requires quick thinking and a coordinated, efficient response. At UArts,

we may be presented with a number of such challenges: weather-related incidents, the loss of a community member, hostile intruder events, or other crises. The university’s Crisis Management Team leads the response to all campus crises, and our team is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to support our community. 

We recognize that when a student in the university community is facing a crisis, the larger university community may also be affected. Our response protocols are critical to enhancing coordinated efforts that protect the safety and well-being of any students in crisis and each member of the campus community. The primary goal of our crisis response is to provide support to students, insure their safety, address system-wide issues, and work to prevent similar crises in the future. 

University staff members who respond to crises recognize students’ right to privacy and that, in some instances, they may not wish to have information shared with others. At the same time, there are situations in which it is necessary and legally permissible for our crisis responders to release information. We respond—as confidentiality regulations permit—to a student’s parent(s) or spouse, legal guardian(s), and/or other emergency contacts. For example, information might be disclosed to appropriate individuals in connection with an emergency when the knowledge of such information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals. 

In addition to our Crisis Management Team, a team is on call 24/7 to respond to incidents. This team includes an administrator on call (senior level administrator), a professional on duty (professional staff that live on campus and respond to campus crises physically), a counselor on call (a therapist from UArts’ Counseling Center), and the Public Safety team. 

As a parent and family member of a UArts student, we encourage you to talk with your student about the campus resources highlighted in the Generations newsletter each month, city and campus safety, safe social and online behaviors, and healthy relationships. Be sure to check out UArts’ Community Safety Guide PDF. Parents are also encouraged to sign up for UArts alerts. The UArts alerts system sends notifications via email and SMS text message—as well as on the portal homepage—about emergency situations at the university, including closings. Students can register additional phone numbers and emails to receive our alerts. Details on how to sign up for UArts alerts are included below. 

To sign up for UArts alerts

• Have your student log in to the UArts portal with their UArts username and password.
• There, they can access the UArts Alerts Sign Up link in the Student Quick Links tile.
• Your student will automatically be signed into the UArts alert system and directed to the site to register phone number(s) and additional email addresses. 
• When adding phone numbers, they should check “text” to receive text messaging. Your student should save their edits when they’re complete.

If your student has any issues accessing the UArts alerts system, contact the HelpDesk at 215-717-6677 or helpdesk@uarts.edu.

Reminder! Parents and Families Information Session: Counseling 

Tuesday, January 30
6:30 p.m. via Zoom
 

Current parents and caregivers are invited to join Student Affairs, Counseling, the Advancement Office, and the Parent and Family Council for an informative Zoom session about Counseling at UArts. 

Hear from Beth Couture, Director of Counseling Services; Sara Pyle, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs; and members of the Parent and Family Council as they discuss counseling services available to students and how to access them. Please register below to attend and submit your questions! A Zoom link for this session is forthcoming.

Register

Save the Date: Day of Giving 2024

In February 2023, 1,140 members of the UArts community came together and raised $246,186 in support of students. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of young artists!

Mark your calendars for the fifth annual UArtist Day of Giving, which will be held Feb. 27, 2024. More information will be shared via email leading up to the event. There are several surprises  in store for you this year!

learn more

Student Leader Positions

Is your student interested in being a student leader? Campus Life is now accepting applications for resident assistants and first-year guides for the next academic year. These positions are a great way for students to get involved in the UArts community, learn invaluable leadership skills, and build friendships and connections with fellow student leaders.

Resident assistant positions: The resident assistant (RA) position lasts one academic year and is an on-campus leadership opportunity. RAs encourage and support residential students’ academic, social, and personal growth, while working to facilitate a safe, caring, and inclusive learning community. RAs gain experience in community building, marketing, administrative responsibilities, event planning, and more, all with support from Campus Life staff. Not only do our RAs find a lot of value in the skills they learn through the position, but they also enjoy the community they become a part of when joining the RA team. They often say that they’ve made some of their best friends at UArts through their RA position. Learn more about the position, including compensation details and application instructions.

Students can also learn more by attending Campus Life’s RA info sessions. Dates and times will be advertised via Campus Life’s weekly student email, Keepin’ Up with Campus Life. Applications are due by Feb. 11, 2024.

First-year guide positions: First-year guides (FYGs) are responsible for helping to welcome our new students every year at Orientation. They are assigned a group of new students at the start of Orientation, and it is their role to help ensure that these new students feel welcomed and get connected on campus. They reach out to their group throughout the semester and participate in first-year-student programming! 

Students can also learn more by attending Campus Life’s FYG info sessions. Dates and times will be advertised via Campus Life’s weekly student email, Keepin’ Up with Campus Life. Applications open Feb. 5 and are due by March 24, 2024.

Career Services Supports UArts Students & Alumni

Is your student planning to pursue an internship, seeking a part-time job, or looking for a summer job? Are they preparing to graduate this semester and launch their creative career? Career Services is available to support them with all their goals and more! Further, we’re not just here for students–we’re also here for alumni.

The Career Services staff provides assistance to students and alumni with every aspect of their job/internship search and career development process, whether it be reviewing a resume and/or a cover letter; exploring possible career paths and options; researching or identifying potential internship sites, employers, and opportunities; advising on interviewing, salary negotiation, or job search etiquette; sharing useful online resources; networking with alumni and other professionals in their field; and all other career-related topics. 

Students and alumni can schedule appointments for one-on-one assistance (in person or virtual) via our online scheduling platform. Our hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and we are open year-round.

UArtsCareers is an online database where all kinds of opportunities from employers seeking to hire our talented students and alumni are available, including internships, full- and part-time jobs, summer jobs, freelance projects and gigs, auditions, and more. Once they log in, users can search postings and submit applications. (Account access instructions are located at the top of the sign-in page).

Students enrolling to earn academic credit for internships will also use UArtsCareers to submit the forms needed to register them for relevant internship courses and complete their required assignments, including keeping track of their hours, documenting their experience, and submitting end-of-internship evaluation forms. If your student will be interning this semester, in the upcoming summer or fall, or any future semester, they can access Career Services’ internship info page to ensure they have all the information they need about UArts’ internship program.

View a full overview of Career Services at uarts.edu/careerservices. If your student has any questions, encourage them to email careerservices@uarts.edu or call 215-717-6075.

Graduating Student Details and Events

Is your student graduating this year? Here are some save the dates and details you need to know!

For general information about UArts Commencement, visit uarts.edu/commencement. If you have any questions, email commencement@uarts.edu.

If your student has petitioned and been approved to participate in the May 2024 Commencement, they will be invited to the Class of 2024 Canvas Classroom page when classes start in January. It’s full of all the details and dates your student needs to know for graduation. 

Save the Date: Graduation Events
 

100 Days to Graduation
Wednesday, Feb. 7, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. 
Hamilton Hall
This pop-in event is only for graduating students. At the event, they will finalize their graduation plan with the registrar and their academic advisor and check in with Student Financial Services if they have any student loan questions. Our staff from Career Services, Graduate Studies, and the Alumni Association will be on hand to set them up for success after UArts! To make it fun, Campus Life will display the Class of 2024 class T-shirt design winner, and students can spin a prize wheel for Commencement-themed prizes!

15 Days to Graduation
Wednesday, May 1, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Student Center
This pop-in event is the last stop for our graduates. During this event, they pick up their tickets, get their cap and gown, and have all their last-minute Commencement questions answered. 

Commencement Rehearsal
Wednesday, May 15, 9:30 a.m.
Hamilton Hall 
This mandatory rehearsal will help ease students’ Commencement jitters as we walk through the process for the big day! Students do not need to bring anything with them—they should just arrive ready to rehearse. 

Commencement
Thursday, May 16: doors open at 9 a.m.; ceremony starts at 10 a.m.
Academy of Music
Your student will need to arrive at Hamilton Hall to line up by 9 a.m. Thursday, May 16. They should come ready to go in their cap and gown.

Graduating Student Details and Events

The ACE Initiative aims to promote the vibrant and passionate breadth of the UArts community’s creativity by inviting our vast network of creative alumni, students, faculty, and staff to sell works in the UArts Store. A percentage of the proceeds from each sale will go directly to the artist. 

We have been able to feature works from current students, alumni, faculty, and staff, including books, tabletop games, ceramics, clothing, jewelry, and more.

All UArts community members are encouraged to apply for the opportunity!

Creating the World: UArts Global

Over 150 UArts students thrived artistically, academically, and personally through UArts travel courses in 2023. Our amazing faculty taught classes in France, Italy, Prague, and London. 

In France, under the leadership of School of Dance Dean Donna Faye Burchfield, our Dance MFA students were in residency for the summer in Montpelier and engaged in a transformative curriculum in connection with Danse Festival Montpelier. And in recognition of her global contributions to dance, Burchfield was awarded the rank of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture. Pape Ibrahima Ndiaye MFA ’23 (Dance MFA), an international student from Senegal and Prague, said his experience in Montpelier was “amazing— the most powerful experience of my life as a student that helped to shape the way I see my life as an artist in the world.”

Michael Grothusen taught an art residency experience in the South of France at the gorgeous La Napoule Art Foundation, a former castle on the Mediterranean turned art residency. Students engaged in sculpture art studio and installation practices while responding to the sublime environment. Jillian Groff ’24 (Art) describes the experience as one of the “most beautiful and influential experiences” for her as an artist.

UArts Theater students had two amazing experiences abroad in 2023: London in January and Prague in June. They relished their time in London seeing some of the best West End productions and participating in outstanding Shakespeare workshops at the renowned Globe Theatre. Later in the summer, Directing, Playwriting, and Production Program Director Amy Dugas Brown and Senior Administrative Assistant Madison Claus organized an outstanding experience during the Prague Quadrennial, an international festival of theater, design, performance art, and technology. Students absolutely loved experiencing Prague and its environs, while seeing some of the most innovative theater design in the world. 

Finally, a multidisciplinary group of UArtists spent three weeks in Italy participating in multidisciplinary art, movement, and cooking workshops. They worked with various Italian performance and visual artists, theorists, and chefs to create installation performance art pieces in Florence, Naples, Pompei, Positano, and Poppi, a medieval village in Tuscany. The students drew their research from their immersive responses to Italy’s art, culture, and culinary life. Abigail Mosier ’24 (Dance), describes the experience as “falling in love with all of life and being a true artist in a beautiful community with other Italian artists.”

2024 will be another inspiring and exciting year for travel. In January, we hosted short travel courses in Japan, London, and Kenya, and Theater students are back in London and at the Globe. A multidisciplinary group of artists traveled to Kenya in residency with artists in Nairobi and then in residency at a 100% bio-sustainable farm in Ndabibi. They also visited Masai tribes, local villages and schools, and a wildlife park. Finally, we also held an exciting course in Japan, where students explored Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka to immerse themselves in traditional and contemporary Japanese art, culture, and spiritual practices.

We have more exciting short travel courses planned for summer 2024 in Italy, Berlin, Barcelona, and France. Encourage your student to contact Mara Flamm, director for international programs, at mflamm@uarts.edu, and remind them to read the student weekly newsletter, Keepin’ Up With Campus Life, for meetings and instructions to apply to these exciting courses. Scholarships are available.