Family ConnectionsNovember 2019
Highlights from Family Weekend Barnard College hosted more than 500 families at Family Weekend 2019 on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26. The weekend included classes to audit, open houses of academic departments and student services, a dance showcase, faculty talks, panel discussions, and an address by President Sian Leah Beilock. For more, visit: 2019 Family Weekend.
Learn More About Feel Well,
Do Well @ Barnard
This fall, Barnard launched a new campus-wide health and wellness initiative called Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard. You may have heard your student mention one of their monthly videos, or you may have seen one of President Beilock’s social media posts about it.
Designed to raise awareness across campus about students’ well-being, this initiative is more than just advice on how to maintain wellness: it’s also about training members of the College community to watch for signs that a student’s well-being may be at risk and how best to respond. To that end, the Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard team, led by Executive Director of Student Health and Wellness MJ Murphy, has begun training faculty and staff members, including facilities, dining, and public safety staff, on how to respond to a distressed student and how to become a more supportive community. They are also
increasing awareness and starting conversations about cross-campus events and resources that allow students to practice wellness in a way that feels best to themselves, and they are working with faculty to explore wellness practices in the classroom. The Office of Family Engagement recently sat down with MJ to talk about Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard: Office of Family Engagement: Tell us a little bit about how Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard started.
MJ: We were really inspired by our collaboration with the JED Foundation and their campus program. The JED Foundation is an organization devoted to promoting mental health as well as preventing suicide and substance abuse on college campuses. They visited our campus last fall to do an in-depth analysis of how well we are working as a community regarding student mental health.
The good news is that we scored very well on their overall assessment. One of the areas they said we could improve on was campus-wide training for people who interact frequently with students but who aren’t in the student services division — which, at Barnard, is a highly skilled and well-trained division when it comes to student wellness. So we launched Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard to raise awareness and to create a protective, supportive community.
OFE: How would you say it’s going so far?
MJ: This is only our seventh week of the program, and so far, it’s been very well received by faculty and staff. We trained more than 300 staff over the summer on how to respond to a student in distress and where to turn to for support. We have also trained close to 250 student leaders and held two trainings for faculty. Our faculty are very concerned about student mental health, since they see the students in their classrooms and witness when a student might be exhibiting some concerning symptoms. We are working with a group of faculty members to find more ways to help faculty be more aware of these issues, learn how to spot concerning behaviors, and learn what to do when they notice something
amiss.
A longer-term goal is how we can infuse wellness into the classroom. We are starting a bank of ideas, created by faculty, that they can draw from when planning their courses. We are also spreading the word about wellness to students, too, with videos and social media campaigns. We really want students to understand that when they take care of themselves, whether through getting enough sleep or seeking the right therapies for their needs, they will maintain better overall health and hopefully enhance their academic performance.
OFE: Since today’s students seem so informed about wellness, how are you tailoring this campaign to them?
MJ: Our theme is “your wellness, your way.” Feeling healthy, or even just well enough to maintain daily activities, varies from individual to individual and from day to day. So we work to offer wellness events and opportunities in a variety of ways.
We are collaborating with students in our Student Health and Wellness area and often offer events that they suggest. There is a strong tradition of peer-to-peer coaching at Barnard, and our Peer Health Educators in our Well-Woman Health Program have been a tremendous help in rolling out Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard. Incorporating the student perspective is crucial, which is why we also have been talking to our Student Government Association about some of their concerns, namely, where wellness intersects with
ability/disability or where wellness intersects with systemic oppression and racism. In addition, we are coordinating with other student-service-focused departments, such as Student Life and the Center for Accessibility Resources and Disability Services (CARDS), to incorporate their programs into Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard.
How to Help Your Student Through the Rest of the Semester
A few tips as we enter the final days of the semester . . . - Midterms - November can be a stressful month when it comes to exams and papers. Barnard does not give midterm grades, so students who want to know how they are doing in a class overall should schedule an appointment with their instructor or Teaching Assistant (TA), or visit during office hours to get a sense of how they may be doing.
Encourage your students to visit during office hours or make appointments; building relationships with their instructors is not only academically smart but also a good life skill related to networking and working with employers down the road. If your student is feeling like their health or emotional well-being is affected by test anxiety and stress, encourage them to visit the Furman Counseling Center or their Class Dean.
- Physical Health - It’s the time of year for colds, the flu, and other illnesses to spread, especially when students are living in close quarters. Encourage your student to get a flu vaccine at our Primary Care Health Center (free of charge if they have Barnard’s health insurance). Also encourage your students to wash their hands frequently, get plenty of sleep, and to eat a balanced diet and at least three meals a day.
- Approaching Holidays - While many students are looking forward to the Thanksgiving or December vacations, others might see this time of year as stressful. Family gatherings can be emotional events, and some students might have some trepidation about returning home.
For some students, being away from home makes them feel like they have changed, and they don’t know if their families will like or accept those changes. Other students feel stressed leaving their studies to spend time with family and friends, making them feel like they are falling behind in their work at school.
No matter what your student may be feeling, try to give them the space and support they need to work out their emotions. If they are coming home for the holidays, ask them how much time they want to spend with family and how much “alone time” they need. And if they aren’t coming home, ask them what they need while they are away: Do they want you to help them find connections locally so they won’t be lonely, or do they want to be independent and figure out their own plans? Be prepared for either answer, and try not to feel rejected if they say they can handle their own plans — remember that they are trying to spread their wings a little.
Barnard's 2020 Commencement to be Held at Radio City Music Hall
Monday, May 18, 2020 We are pleased to announce that Barnard College Commencement 2020 will be held on Monday, May 18, at 4 p.m., at Radio City Music Hall in midtown Manhattan. The Columbia University Commencement will be held the morning of Wednesday, May 20.
Radio City is a beautiful and iconic venue and will comfortably accommodate our many guests. We will provide more detailed information, including our Commencement speaker and the medalists being honored during the ceremony, early next semester. For information and updates related to Commencement, please visit Barnard Commencement. For questions related to Commencement, please email commencement@barnard.edu. We look forward to celebrating with our graduates
and their families in the spring!
Important Dates
- 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
- May 18: Barnard College Commencement
- May 20: Columbia University Commencement
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.
Follow the College and President Beilock Follow the College's social media channels for the latest in news (see icons below). And you can follow President Beilock on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram (see icons to the right), for even more details and insights about Barnard's events, accomplishments, and announcements. You can also find President Beilock's latest writings, interviews and research online:
|