Family ConnectionsOctober 2019
Welcome from President Sian Leah Beilock
I am delighted to personally welcome you to our new academic year. Our students have settled into classes, and a lot has already happened. More than 23 graduate schools and 63 potential employers came to campus for the Beyond Barnard Opportunities Fair on September 6, and on September 10 we hosted Convocation, an annual event that brings together current students and alumnae for a celebration of community. (Please see below for photos, a video and more on Convocation and our keynote speaker, Sheila Nevins ’60, who delivered quite a moving speech.)
This is our second newsletter to parents from our new Office of Family Engagement, and it is exciting for me to watch as this initiative develops. This office is a resource that will help you to help your student achieve their best at Barnard. Its goals are to help you learn about our policies and to better understand the College, and what makes the Barnard experience so unique. Check out our expanded website for Parents and Families.
Our director of the Office of Family Engagement and Deputy Dean Natalie Friedman has been at Barnard for more than six years
and worked in higher education for about 20 years. I encourage you to reach out to Natalie for more about the ins and outs of college life, and about Barnard specifically. She also just published an op-ed with tips on how to help college students spread their wings in The Washington Post. Please call the new Office of Family Engagement if you:
… have a question about a policy.
… have a concern about your student.
… don’t know how to direct them to appropriate resources. And while not every problem has an immediate solution, the Office can share information, policies and processes that should help. Think of the Office as a place to get the directions your student will need to navigate Barnard. The goal is to empower them by empowering you. This can be somewhat of a rough time for many parents, including me. When I sent my daughter Sarah to a new school in New York City after moving here, I was anxious about how she would make the transition. And she’s doing just great! I hope that your student has a productive and satisfying fall semester, and that it is an equally positive experience for you, as well. Sincerely,
President Sian Leah Beilock
Taking Notes Join Us for Family Weekend 2019
We look forward to welcoming Barnard families to Family Weekend 2019 on Friday and Saturday, October 25-26! The weekend includes classes to audit, open houses of academic departments and student services, a dance showcase, faculty talks, panel discussions with deans and directors, an address by President Sian Leah Beilock, and other opportunities to learn about life at Barnard. There is no cost to attend the weekend. An optional Buffet Brunch is offered on Saturday morning at a cost of $25 per person (Barnard students must also
pay for the brunch if they plan on attending with their family). For more information and to see the schedule, visit Family Weekend 2019 or email Familyweekend@barnard.edu.
The Top Seven Resources a Parent Should Know About on Campus
Barnard prides itself on the support it offers to students. Students have multiple “adults” in their lives on campus to whom they can turn for advice or guidance when the need arises, including Faculty Advisors, Class Deans, and Resident Advisors. The challenge for new students (and some returning students, too) is figuring out where to go or remembering what office does what. Remind your student that there are many offices on campus that can provide help and answers, and if the first office they visit can’t fulfill the exact need your student voices, that office will direct them to the appropriate campus resource.
Here are the top seven campus resources you should know about in case your student calls and you want to remind them where to go for help: - The Class Deans. Each class at Barnard has a designated advisor called a Class Dean. Our First-Year Dean specializes in helping first-year students transition to college, offering support for registration, managing homesickness, and everything else. Our Class Deans are a good “one-stop shop” if your child
isn’t sure where to go for answers, since the Deans partner with pretty much every office on campus, from Financial Aid to Furman Counseling. Class Deans are all located in Milbank Hall, Suite 105. Encourage your student to make an appointment online or even just drop in.
Furman Counseling Center. Our on-campus, free-of-charge counseling center offers individual therapy, group therapy, and medication to support the mental health and emotional well-being of our students. Students can come to the Center or call to make an appointment, and they will be seen by a counselor specializing in late-adolescent mental health. If they wish to see another counselor, they can request that as well. Furman can also make referrals for care in New York City. The number-one reason
students come to Furman is for stress or stress-related anxiety, so even if your student has never had a problem with anxiety before but is feeling stressed about an upcoming exam, a roommate situation, or even just being away from home, encourage them to come have a confidential conversation with a trained and compassionate counselor. Primary Care Health Services. It’s fall, the weather is changing, and your student is living with a lot of other people in the residence halls, so they may catch a cold
at some point. If they tell you they are not feeling well, encourage them to see Primary Care Health Services. They can make an appointment or come in for daily walk-in hours to see an on-campus physician. Visits are free of charge. (Additional tests may incur costs. If you or your student have questions about insurance, Primary Care Health Services can answer those, too.) It can be scary to have your student be sick and far from home, and if they are a first-year student, this may be the first time they will be visiting a doctor without you; PCHS understands that, and the care providers there also specialize in late-adolescent health care. If your student becomes ill after business hours, they can call the Clinician On-Call for after-hours care at 1-855-622-1903. In an emergency or if they are severely ill or experiencing life-threatening symptoms, they should call Public Safety at
212-854-6666. Public Safety can make transports to nearby hospitals, and the hospital will follow up with Primary Care Health Services on campus. Public Safety. Starting at New Student Orientation, we tell students that they should program two numbers into their phones: one is Public Safety's emergency number (212-854-6666) and the other is their reporting line, where students can register complaints or report non-emergent concerns (212- 854-3362). Whether they feel unsafe on or near campus, or if they
require immediate medical attention, they can call the emergency number, and a Public Safety officer will be on the scene. (Students on campus or in a residence hall requiring assistance should not call 911, as 911 will not be able to access campus buildings; Public Safety can call 911 if needed.) For more information on Public Safety and all the ways they work with our students to create a safe community, please visit their website. Beyond Barnard. Students at Barnard are often excited to
talk about the future, whether it’s finding a summer internship, thinking ahead to graduate school, or wondering about the kind of job they might want after graduation. Beyond Barnard is their starting point. Our unique office offers special advising that combines all of these interests, from Student Employment at Barnard (they can help your student find a campus job) to graduate school fairs and more. Encourage your student to make an appointment online or attend an information session. Residential Life and
Housing. Chances are, this is the first time your student is sharing space with another person — or more than one person. Sharing space can be challenging, and if your student is calling home to complain about their roommate or the condition of their room, encourage them to speak to the staff at Residential Life & Housing. Have your student start with their RA (Resident Advisor), a fellow student who has special training to support college students living in housing. They can follow up that conversation with their HD (Hall Director), a graduate student who lives in and manages their residence hall. Students can also direct questions and complaints to the Associate Directors of Residential Life & Housing, whose offices are located on the first floor of Sulzberger Hall, right in the residential Quad. Residential Life & Housing can also direct students to the
appropriate staff who oversee the meal plan and housing selection process. - The Registrar’s Office. Your student has just finished navigating the first few weeks of the semester, which can be a stressful time, thanks to what’s known as “shopping period.” Even after they’ve selected their courses, though, they may have some lingering questions. They can always ask their Faculty Advisors or Class Deans (see above), but they can also visit the Registrar’s Office. Every college and university has a Registrar;
students can ask about adding a course after a deadline, dropping a course, or creating a special major. Encourage them to stop by the Registrar’s window in Milbank Hall; no appointment is necessary.
Barnard Welcomes the Class of 2023 at 2019 Convocation Ceremony “Welcome back to Barnard” is the statement the College makes in a boldly colorful way at its annual Convocation event, which invites the entire community to celebrate the start of the new academic year. Hundreds of students, trustees, faculty, staff, distinguished guests, and alumnae gathered for this year’s traditional ceremony at the historic Riverside Church on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Wearing color-coded T-shirts that represented their respective class years, current students from first-years to seniors beamed with pride and excitement while alumnae joined the assembly — from the most recent graduating class to the Class of 1947. Robed in academic regalia and carrying class flags, 80 alumnae — including mother Carolyn Dicker ’84 and daughter Michal Dicker ’14 — processed to the cheers of new and returning students gathered in the landmark cathedral. To see more, visit Convocation 2019.
Important Dates
- Oct. 25-26: Barnard College Family Weekend
- Nov. 2-5: Fall break
- Nov. 14: Last day to withdraw from a course
- Nov. 18-22: Registration opens for Spring semester
- Nov. 27-Dec. 1: Thanksgiving holidays
- Dec. 9: Last day of classes for Fall semester
- Dec. 10-12: Required reading days
- Dec. 13-19: Final examinations for Fall semester
- Dec. 20: Residence Halls close for Winter break
- Dec. 21-Jan. 20: Winter break
- Jan. 18: Residence Halls reopen for returning students
You can access the full academic calendar (including the 2019-2020 calendar) at Barnard Calendar. For more information, visit Barnard Office of Family Engagement or email parents@barnard.edu.
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