Generations - Oct. 2019

In this issue...

Homesickness
UArts Day & UArts Weekend
Health Services
Internships
Emerging Leaders

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Homesickness

“We carry our homes within us, which enables us to fly.”

 – John Cage (Music theorist, artist, philosopher)

Homesickness and stress are normal parts of the college experience for many young adults. Transitioning to college life is a big deal, regardless if the student is a freshman leaving home for the first time or a junior returning from a long summer spent with loved ones.

College life includes adjustment pains for even the most resilient, adaptable students, as they reorganize their lives by their class schedules and assignments and work and financial obligations. Transitioning to college life also means navigating new relationships and grappling with feelings of loneliness and belonging. It’s no wonder students long for the comfort of home and what’s known to them, and the support and love of having family in the next room. So, what can you do to support your young artist experiencing distress? 

A fun way to show your support is to send them a care package. It’s a reminder of love and might include items that ensure your student is comfortable throughout the school year. You might consider sending them a letter, school supplies, a comfy blanket or shareable snacks for them and their roommates. Items that hold specific meaning among family members or foster inside jokes can be signs of support, too: They’re small ways to bring the feeling of home into the moment and help your student break the ice with their new friends. 

Though you might be going through your own transitional experience by having your student leave home, it’s important they know you’re proud of them for attending school and that you’re doing okay with their departure from home. But it’s also important to give your student the space they need to settle into their independence and the new school year’s obligations. It’s all about finding a balance, supporting your student and being there for them while aiding them in their journey toward autonomy. 

Part of that journey is recognizing one’s own social needs. If you want to help support your student’s social life, you can suggest they attend the many events offered through our Campus Life office. Campus Life provides activities that range from self-defense and yoga classes to late-night dinner gatherings, and events that focus on wellness, equality and more. Campus Life offers wonderful ways for students to meet new friends with similar interests, stay involved in the community and take a much-needed break from studying. 

Lastly, encourage your student to utilize the university’s Counseling Center if you think they would benefit from some extra help with homesickness, stress management or interpersonal difficulties. The Counseling Center has daily walk-in hours from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Monday–Friday.

Counseling can help your student manage the stress of homesickness and academics while addressing things like self-doubt, mental health concerns and interpersonal relationship health.  We are here, our services are free of charge and we are eager to help.

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UArts Day & UArts Weekend

The annual UArts Day and UArts Weekend celebrations have wrapped up. This was our third UArts Day celebration and our eighth UArts Weekend!

UArts Day
UArts Day is a campus-wide celebration that builds community, expands connections to Philadelphia, and strengthens the creative and professional skills of our students. This year, students completed over 1,600 UArts Day activities in only six hours! Activities ranged from making Kokedamas (the Japanese art of growing plants in a moss-covered ball of soil wrapped with string) at the Horticulture Therapy workshop, to creating set pieces for the performance and immersive visual art installation at Crane Arts for Killjoy’s Kastle: A Lesbian Feminist Haunted House, to utilizing the tools at the Makerspace in Hamilton Hall to customize UArts Day T-shirts.

The party continued as UArts shut down Pine Street for our annual UArts Day Block Party! Students, faculty and staff, alumni and families filled the street, and performances from the School of Music rocked the block. Philadelphia’s most popular food trucks, like The Cow and the Curd, Nick’s Street Eats, Nick’s Roast Beef, Fat Belly BBQ, Pompier Catering, Curbside Creamery and the Chili Banana served more than 3,500 meals to attendees. The fun did not stop there, though: An Open Mic Night featured performances from students and some family duets, too!

UArts Weekend
Families and alumni travelled back to campus to celebrate all weekend. We kicked things off on Saturday with a Family & Faculty Brunch in Solmssen Court, followed by campus updates from President Yager. Guests got a first peek at photos from renovation projects on campus; learned about plans for upcoming projects; and heard about the progress of the UArts capital campaign, Uniquely UArts. After brunch, families and alumni made their way around the on-campus Gallery Crawl and visited the UArts block at Chestnut Street for the Midtown Village Fall Festival.

This year, the UArts festival tage featured performances from the School of Music’s “Z” Big Band, Transfusion Ensemble and DANGERBOY; alumni Hannah Lorimer, Keely Sibilia and DeShana Wooden; and the School of Dance. The school store hosted a pop-up shop and sold the first UArts Unicorn T-shirts; Illustration students Julia Davis, Sophia Lane and Shawnee Sinex shared their talents by providing free face-painting and caricatures to festivalgoers, and alumni Anuja Kapri, Alex Lozier and Lorenzo Buffa sold their crafts.

The weekend started to wind down in the evening at the Family BBQ in Solmssen Court. Families enjoyed BBQ, beer and wine and got to take home a souvenir UArts Weekend stemless wine glass. Little Baby’s Ice Cream—a Philadelphia-based company founded and owned by Martin Brown BM ’04 (Trumpet)—treated families to dessert. On Sunday morning, guests gathered for a Farewell Brunch in Terra Dining Hall.

Mark your calendars for next year’s events, which will be held Oct. 2–4, 2020! We can’t wait to see you all again!

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Health Services

Students see Health Services for all kinds of difficulties and concerns, such as the common cold, fevers and flulike illnesses; women’s health problems; sexual health questions; musculoskeletal injuries like sprains, strains and other injuries; and skin concerns like newly onset rashes. Many ailments and concerns can be treated in the office, and we provide supplies to students (like cough drops and over-the-counter medications) when appropriate.

If an ailment or injury requires further care, we work with two local providers: Jefferson Family Medicine Associates and YHEP, which are relatively close to campus. For example, if we were worried about a strep infection, we would make an appointment for the affected student at one of those locations. Provided that Health Services makes the appointment and sends the student there with our referral form, the appointment is usually free of charge.

Our office also offers free flu shots and advertises on campus when these are available. Students can either get them in-office while our supply lasts, or they can take advantage of our pop-up flu clinics, which are promoted via social media. We usually get our flu-shot shipment in early October, and we encourage students to call or email our office to find out when they’re available.

As parents, you can encourage your student to create habits that will help keep them healthy. Getting a flu shot, washing their hands, avoiding tobacco and nicotine products, getting enough sleep, and focusing on nutritious foods may help your student avoid illness. But please remind them that we’re here if they need us!

Health Services is located on the third floor of Gershman Hall, Room 306. When classes are in session, the office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. At present, we see students on a walk-in basis, so no scheduling is necessary.

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Internships

Internships are a fantastic way for students to gain real-life experience in their field. They get the chance to apply and enhance the skills and knowledge they have learned in the classroom under the supervision of a professional in their discipline.

Every student at UArts has the opportunity to do an internship. Though most majors have an internship requirement as part of the curriculum, those without a requirement still offer internships as electives. Some of the places students have interned recently include

 Internships FAQ

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Emerging Leaders

October is the beginning of the nomination process for the Emerging Leaders leadership development program from Campus Life. The Emerging Leaders program is an 8-week commitment in the spring semester that is designed to encourage students to learn more about themselves and how to become active leaders on UArts’ campus.

By participating in Emerging Leaders, students learn about leadership theory through group activities and class discussions. They have the opportunity to take the StrengthsQuest self-assessment and learn about their individual leadership strengths. Through their involvement in this program and through interactions with each other, these emerging leaders will be provided with the opportunity to practically implement what they are learning.

Students are nominated to participate in the program through faculty and staff nominations, self-nominations, or through being nominated by a peer. Students interested in the program can find out more by emailing campuslife@uarts.edu or by visiting Campus Life’s information tabling in Gershman Hall on Oct. 30 from 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

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