Hello Union Parents!
I hope your holidays were wonderful and that you enjoyed having the opportunity to get caught up with your Union student. It’s hard to believe how quickly this second term has arrived! Students are back and the campus is buzzing with activity!
Just a reminder, Homecoming and Family Weekend ’08 is October 17-19. Be sure to get those dates on your calendar and hotel accommodations reserved. I’ll look forward to seeing you here!
For parents of seniors, here is an important link for Commencement information. http://www.union.edu/Commencement/ If you have any questions, please contact Judy Ludwig in Academic Affairs via email at ludwigja@union.edu
And now messages from the Campus…
Health Services
Just a reminder to parents…when sending those care packages from home, please remember to include items such as a new toothbrush, antibacterial soaps, tissues, cough drops, tea bags, hot chocolate and quick energy bars. Although our temperatures may be warmer than usual at the moment, it is cold and flu season.
Student Activities
It might be cold outside, but Winter Term is heating up with Student Activities! The term is packed full of great events! The extremely popular Winter Comedy Series, 10 – 10 @ 10 (10 comedians, 10 weeks, at 10:00 p.m.) is back and will have your students laughing all term! They will be in awe as Mentalist Chris Carter reads their minds. Who doesn't want a free X-Box or Wii gaming system? Well, students can win one by participating in an X-Box & Wii Tournament! How about a little education and culture? There will be a great program for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Additionally Asian Student Union and UProgram will be sponsoring the Annual Lunar New Year Festival in February. Ballroom Dance Lessons are held every Tuesday and Kendo Club will be practicing every Thursday and Sunday. Club Hockey will be on the ice all term competing and practicing. And let's not forget about the FREE weekly movie series, with titles such as "American Gangster" and "I am Legend". All of this and so much more is happening!
Parents of Seniors: Encourage your student to have his/her Senior photo taken for FREE by Carlyn Studios from January 14th-18th. All students who have their photo taken will receive a 2008 Garnet Yearbook for FREE. Sign-ups are located outside of the Office of Student Activities, 404 Reamer Campus Center.
Hillel Program
Fourteen Union students have just returned from a free 10-day Taglit-Birthright Israel Hillel Explore Israel trip and are scheduled to have a debriefing next week. Registration for our spring trip will open on February 12th at 9 AM. It is imperative that students who are interested in going on this trip register online immediately thereafter at www.freeisraeltrip.org. They will receive an email to this effect in a few weeks.
Applications have just gone out for our ROAR volunteer mentoring program for this term. Other Hillel members are beginning to plan for the popular annual Hillel Snowball for area senior citizens that is scheduled for Feb. 10th. Still others are busy thinking about menus to prepare for Friday night dinners that will be exciting and tantalizing. Hillel has also committed one morning to helping construct Union's Habitat for Humanity house. Weekly Torah study, conducted by Rabbi Shmuli Rubin will take place over lunch hour on Thursdays in the College Center. And a series of monthly Rosh Chodesh women's programs is being planned jointly by Hillel and Chabad.
If you have any ideas that you think might be worth it for us to pursue or would like to serve on an advisory board for Union College Hillel, please email us back at strosbm2@union.edu. And if we can answer any questions or be of help in any other way, please be in touch. Margo Strosberg, Union College Hillel Director/Jewish Chaplain
Becker Career Center
In its simplest form, the Becker Career Center is about helping students develop their goal attainment skills so that they’ll be able to secure opportunities for which they are well suited and manage their career for a lifetime in a dynamic, diverse and global environment.
Now, when I say “secure opportunities for which they are well suited,” I mean opportunities that stir their passion – that drives their natural curiosity. I believe that if they secure such opportunities, they will perform better and the rewards will take care of themselves.
For students who don’t know what they want to do, we encourage them to get to know themselves through self-assessment and exploration. With a better understanding of who they are, students will be in a better position to align who they are with their course of study, practical experience, and employment pursuits.
By having the courage to get out of their comfort zones and engage in activities, courses, events, etc. that peak their interests, your student will have many positive and some negative experiences. Both experiences, however, are very important in helping them better understand themselves.
At the end of the day, by knowing themselves better, they will be much more likely to make decisions that will put them in situations where they are more likely to succeed – however they define success.
So, if your son or daughter doesn’t know what they want to do, have them call us at 518.388.6176 or stop in for some assistance.
If your son or daughter wants an internship or full-time job this summer, now is the time for them to prepare to secure their opportunity. Some of the preparation includes:
· Developing a resume
· Having the ability to write a cover letter
· Understanding the importance of networking and having the skills to conduct informational interviews
· Interviewing practice
Again, we can help your student with all of this. All your son or daughter needs to do is call us at 518.388.6176 or stop in for some assistance.
Finally parents, we will be having a Career Fair on Tuesday, February 19, from 4-7pm. If you (your employer) would like to participate, just let us know. The Career Fair is limited to 50 employers and participation will be on a first come first served basis.
As always, if you have or know of internship or full-time employment opportunities we would be happy to post the opportunity for our students. Please call us at 518.388.6176, or email Laura Leib at leibl@union.edu.
Minerva Programs
Winter Workshops
· Lab Sciences, 1/17 @ 7:00 p.m. in Green
· Writing Papers/Essays; Week 3 in Sorum (date TBD)
· Test Taking; Week 4 in Beuth (date TBD)
· Pre-Registration; 2/4, 2/5, 2/7 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in West, Davidson, and Richmond
· Memory Techniques; Week 6 in Bailey (date and room number TBD)
Office Hours
Stephanie Wold Sundays; 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Marti Sorum Mondays; 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Shane Golub Mondays; 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Dave Green Tuesdays; 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Andy Breazzano Wednesdays; 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Steve Blue Wednesday; 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Jackie Beuth Thursdays; 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Minerva Dessert and Discussion Speaker Series
January 24 – Summer Rayne Oaks: Cornell grad, model and very active in Green Movement
February 7 – Regan Hoffman, Editor of A Poz Magazine, published for people with HIV / AIDS
February 19 – Darra Goldstein, Professor and Chef, winner of Julia Child Cookbook of Year
TBA (probably in April) – David Zaminski, Families of September 11
May 5 – George Daley, M.D. Ph.D, stem cell researcher
May 6 – Rob Caughlin, Speaker on Environmental Politics and Coastal Protection
News from The Parent Fund
ChairpersonVivian Falco (Peter ’09), is looking for volunteers to contact parents to share the message “A gift to The Parent Fund is a Vote of Confidence. “ Volunteers will be asking parents to support Union with a gift to The Parents Fund, at any giving level. The time commitment is small and provides another opportunity to be connected with Union College.
The Parent Fund thanks you for your support. As parents, we understand the financial commitment parents make to send their children to Union College. As tuition fees do not cover all of the necessary expenses, the College seeks support from alumni, friends, businesses, foundations and parents. Union College appreciates and values everything our parents do through their volunteer efforts, supporting their child's activities, attending campus events and entrusting the College to educate their children.
If you would like more volunteering information, please email Vivian Falco at vivian.falco@gmail.com or Elizabeth Epstein, Parent Fund Manager at Union College, epsteine@union.edu. Or send a message to Parents_Association@union.edu
Finally, I hope that your student is off to a good start for the term! As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. I look forward to talking with you soon.
Happy 2008,
Karen Dumonet (Vanessa ’07, Sebastian ’09)
Parents Association Chairperson