Posted on Oct 10, 2008

Members of the campus community will help spruce up Schenectady on Saturday, Oct. 11, 9 a.m.–noon, when they join city leaders and area residents for the 14th annual John Calvin Toll Day.

Coordinated by Union’s Kenney Community Center and the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation, Toll Day provides service learning opportunities and strengthens Union’s commitment to the city.

Volunteers will help clean up parks, monuments and a variety of other public spaces. Individual and group volunteers will meet in front of the Old Chapel at 9 a.m. to receive an assignment and board buses to the various sites.

The buses are provided by the College, and the first 100 students in line will receive a free commemorative T-shirt. Snacks and work materials will be provided.

John Calvin Toll Day is named for one of Union's first graduates in 1799. It has been supported each year by Al Hill ‘46 and his wife, Perrie. Toll was the great-great-grandfather of Hill, a retired attorney from Buffalo who died last year. The Hills created the fund to encourage Union students to undertake volunteer service.

For more information or to register, contact Don Austin, VISTA volunteer at the Kenney Community Center, 388-6609, ext. 6174 or austind@union.edu.

Posted on Oct 10, 2008

The 84 tombstones laid out in front of Reamer Campus Center are not meant to scare, but to educate.

Eighty-four represents the average number of suicides per day in the United States. Each tombstone will be marked with statistics and other pertinent information relating to depression and suicide prevention.

“Among the college student population, suicide is the second leading cause of death after accidents,” said Marcus Hotaling, director of the Counseling Center at Silliman Hall. “We’re trying to reduce the stigma around seeking help and also draw attention to the signs and symptoms of depression and suicidal thinking.

“If you are struggling, you can reach out for help, or if someone you know is struggling, you can help them.”

The Counseling Center will mark National Depression Screening Day today, Friday, Oct. 10, with an information, education and outreach program from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The screening day takes place each October during Mental Illness Awareness Week to call attention to the illness of depression on a national level and educate the public about its symptoms and effective treatments.

The most common signs of depression are sleep disturbances (sleeping all the time or having difficulty falling or staying asleep); change in appetite (constant eating or loss of appetite); and inability to find pleasure in things once considered enjoyable.

“There is a range of emotion and normative depression around many issues that will not lead to suicidal thinking; these can be handled on your own or by talking to a professional,” Hotaling said. “It becomes a problem when the pain is so significant the person starts thinking about wanting to end it.”

For more information on Friday’s screening program, contact Hotaling at hotalinm@union.edu.

Posted on Oct 10, 2008

’Tis the season for the college search, and Union is offering two opportunities for prospective students to visit campus and learn more about the College.

The Office of Admissions will host fall Open Houses from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 13, and Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11.

“Seeing is believing. Visiting Union opens students’ eyes to its possibilities,” said Ann Fleming Brown, director of Admissions. “Students visit and imagine themselves here. There’s no better way to select a college or to discover Union as a top choice.”

The November Open House, she said, “is the last hurrah for high school seniors looking at Union.”

Visitors both days will have the opportunity to sit in on classes; tour campus grounds and facilities; attend sessions on financial aid, housing and career planning; meet faculty and visit specific departments; and discuss varsity, club and intramural athletic options.

There also will be sessions on pre-med advising and an introduction to the Leadership in Medicine/Health Management Program.

Prospective students and their parents can register for an Open House at www.union.edu/fallopenhouses. Advance notice is appreciated. For more information, contact Lilia Tiemann, coordinator of event planning for Admissions, at ext. 6586.

In addition, personal interviews are a key element of evaluating a student’s application and are highly recommended.

“Although we can’t interview on Open House days, we’re always eager to talk with prospective students,” Fleming Brown said.

On-campus interviews must be scheduled by Dec. 15 and will be offered Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and on several Saturdays, through Jan. 15. Call Admissions at (888) 843-6688 to make an appointment. Alumni interviews may be arranged in various locales by www.union.edu/alumniinterview.           

Posted on Oct 9, 2008

The 84 tombstones laid out in front of Reamer Campus Center are not meant to scare, but to educate.

Eighty-four represents the average number of suicides per day in the United States. Each tombstone will be marked with statistics and other pertinent information relating to depression and suicide prevention.

“Among the college student population, suicide is the second leading cause of death after accidents,” said Marcus Hotaling, director of the Counseling Center at Silliman Hall. “We’re trying to reduce the stigma around seeking help and also draw attention to the signs and symptoms of depression and suicidal thinking.

“If you are struggling, you can reach out for help, or if someone you know is struggling, you can help them.”

The Counseling Center will mark National Depression Screening Day on Friday, Oct. 10, with an information, education and outreach program from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The screening day takes place each October during Mental Illness Awareness Week to call attention to the illness of depression on a national level and educate the public about its symptoms and effective treatments.

The most common signs of depression are sleep disturbances (sleeping all the time or having difficulty falling or staying asleep); change in appetite (constant eating or loss of appetite); and inability to find pleasure in things once considered enjoyable.

“There is a range of emotion and normative depression around many issues that will not lead to suicidal thinking; these can be handled on your own or by talking to a professional,” Hotaling said. “It becomes a problem when the pain is so significant the person starts thinking about wanting to end it.”

For more information on Friday’s screening program, contact Hotaling at hotalinm@union.edu.

Posted on Oct 8, 2008