Happy New Year and welcome to Spring Semester! I hope you all had a restful winter break, and that you were warm and cozy and enjoyed the peace and beauty of a snow day on what would have been the first day of classes. It may be hard to believe so soon after the D.C. area’s largest snowfall since 2016, but Spring Semester is now underway.
With classes just starting, it’s a great time to establish a routine to keep you healthy and energized throughout the cycle of the academic year. Here are a few things to do here on campus to care for yourself – physically, socially, and emotionally as well as academically. Please remember that it’s all intertwined!
Get involved. Engaging around shared interests is an important way to build a supportive community, feel revitalized, and nurture interests and skills beyond the classroom. Check out the current list of student organizations and clubs – it really is amazingly diverse – as well as all the options for club sports and intramurals.
See what happens when you build a trip to the fitness center into your week’s routine. You might even try working out while listening to this Ted Talk on the brain-changing benefits of exercise by a neuroscientist who tried it for herself.
Thoughtful conversations for the whole community happen on the first Wednesday of each month at Kay Spiritual Life Center. The first one this Spring will be on Self-Care in an Age of Anxiety – a very relevant topic for many of us! Check them out.
Please remember all the support systems that AU has for students, from the Academic Support and Access Center to the Counseling Center to the Health Promotion and Advocacy Center (HPAC), where you can get tips on stress management, healthy relationship, and a holistic approach to wellness.
TDR has more of the fresh food items you’ve been requesting, so check out the changes on the menu!
Global Fresh will be open on Sundays, and we’ve extended hours at some other popular locations and are keeping TDR open seven days a week until 9 p.m.
There will be focus groups on proposed meal plans for Fall 2019 through the Residence Hall Association and AU Student Government. Stay tuned for the date announcements – those are coming soon.
The Office of Campus Life is here to guide, challenge and support you as you grow and thrive in this community. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at campuslife@american.edu if you have questions about campus resources.
Congratulations, AU Eagles, on everything you’ve achieved so far, and best wishes for a successful and fulfilling semester!