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ISSUE #7 May 2007
End of Semester Anxieties – How Can You Help?
Danette Norman Till
 Danette Norman Till is director of counseling services at MC. |
As we approach the end of the semester and spring begins to arrive (it is 73 degrees in North Manchester as I write this), students experience a variety of feelings – from spring fever, to anxiety over end-of-semester demands, to anticipation of summer. Here are some reminders about what your student may be experiencing and how you, as a parent, might assist your student.
It's not unusual for students nearing the end of the school year to experience:
- End of semester pressure
- Excitement with arrival of spring
- Final exam anxiety
- Worries about finding summer employment
- Apprehension about returning home for summer
- Sadness over leaving new friendships and/or love relationships at school
- Realization of how college influences life decisions
How can parents help?
- Encourage use of campus resources:
- Counseling Services, confidential place to talk about worries, stresses
- Human Resources, campus job opportunities
- Career Services, summer job or internship opportunities
- Writing Center, assistance with writing papers, reviewing drafts
- Academic Support, study skills, information on tutors and study groups
- Listen, encourage and acknowledge your student's stress.
- Send written notes of encouragement (snail mail, not just electronic messages) and care packages.
- Affirm your student’s good decision-making skills and your faith in him/her.
- Encourage positive stress reducers – taking a brief walk, changing study locations, regular sleep and eating schedule.
- Dialogue openly about summer and expectations.
- Support feelings of sadness (don’t take it as your student not wanting to return home or not loving you).
- Be aware of your own sense of loss while having your student gone, and now transition of the student’s return home for summer.
- Accept your student’s changes; try not to second guess or challenge.
- Ask questions to genuinely learn about the changes/growth, not to correct.
Adapted in part from Mullendore, R.H. an d Hatch, C. (2000).
Graduation Day Schedule
- BACCALAUREATE, Sunday, May 20, 11 a.m. in Cordier Auditorium
Graduates meet at 10:15 a.m. in Wampler Auditorium, put on caps and gowns, and organize the processional march to Cordier. - COMMENCEMENT, Sunday, May 20, 2:30 p.m. in the Physical Education and Recreation Center (PERC)
Graduates meet at 1:45 p.m. in Wampler Auditorium to put on caps and gowns and arrange for the traditional processional march to the PERC. - ATTENDANCE AT COMMENCEMENT IS REQUIRED.
Students are encouraged to participate in all graduation day events. Only those who have requested in writing and have been granted permission in advance by the vice president and dean for academic affairs before commencement may be graduated in absentia.
TICKETS:
- No tickets are needed for baccalaureate.
- For commencement, each graduate is entitled to five tickets in a reserved section for relatives or friends. Ticketed (reserved) seating is held only until 2:15 p.m. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Tickets will be available from the Business Office in the Administration Building (see Jenny Birner) weekdays 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., May 7-18. Unreserved seats are available for persons without tickets.
- Facilities are accessible for those with disabilities for both baccalaureate and commencement. If you will have guests who require special seating, please contact Terri Jones at 260-982-5050 or tljones@manchester.edu
- Off-campus graduates can receive tickets in the mail by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Office of the President, Manchester College, 604 E. College Ave., North Manchester, IN 46962, by May 7. On the day of commencement, ticket information will be available in the Office of the President, Administration Building, Room 120, 9:45-10:15 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m.
LUNCH FOR SUNDAY, MAY 20
The Union cafeteria will be be serving a buffet lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $6.99 for adults; children 12 and under, $3.49; senior citizens, $5.
HOUSING
Please see the Manchester College website for a list of local accommodations.
CAP AND GOWN
Students who were fitted at the Campus Store will be notified by campus e-mail when caps and gowns are available to pick up. Extra caps and gowns were ordered for students who did not show up for a personal fitting.
PHOTOGRAPHY
- Each student will be photographed as his/her diploma is presented by President Jo Young Switzer. Information will be sent to the student's home following commencement. Each student will receive a free proof and the opportunity to purchase additional copies. There is no obligation to purchase additional pictures.
- Professional video tapes and DVDs of baccalaureate and commencement also will be available. For video tapes, cost is $30 for baccalaureate, $35 for commencement, or $50 for the pair. For DVDs, baccalaureate is $25, commencement is $30, and the pair is $45. A $10 deposit is required at the time of ordering. To order, call Jim Adams at 260-982-4827 and leave a message with your contact information. Other photography during the ceremony is discouraged.
COMPLETING REQUIREMENTS
Students should make arrangements for the completion of all requirements, duties and the payment of all outstanding bills at the Business Office before Graduation day. Graduates who have not completed their academic work by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 18, will receive only a diploma cover at commencement. The signed diploma will be sent after requirements have been completed. Questions about the completion of academic requirements should be directed to the registrar.
INSURANCE
Some family health insurance plans end coverage of adult children at the time of their college graduation. We advise you to examine your family plan NOW regarding coverage following graduation.
Find more information about Graduation Day on the Manchester College website.
Students to Find Support at New Success Center
College is about students rising to new challenges every day. It’s about getting real in every area of their life. And it's about finding the determination it takes to succeed.
At Manchester College, we work side by side to help students define their success and achieve it. Our student resources are as extensive as you’ll find anywhere. And our personal approach is something you won’t find anywhere else.
The new Success Center, coming fall 2007, will combine a wide range of academic services in one centralized location in the Union.
For tutoring assistance, time management ideas, or test-taking strategies, Academic Support offers professional assistance. For students who might need help with a writing project, The Writing Center is at their service.
Is it time for your student to start thinking more seriously about a professional future after college? Career Services has experts to guide him/her through the entire job-searching experience—including assistance gaining valuable experience through internships. The Success Center is also home to the Honors Program for students who embrace the challenges and opportunities offered in elevated academic programs.
Success also means a healthy body and mind, and Health Services and Counseling Services, located in Calvin Ulrey Hall, are available to ensure physical and emotional well-being.
No matter where students are in their academic, professional or personal journey, the Success Center empowers them to take their college experience to the next level. And the best part? They never have to go it alone.
I Found a Door to the World
Samuel Cox
 Samuel Cox is a Manchester College senior and Fulbright Scholar. |
The Brethren Colleges Abroad resident director in Marburg pointed out the van window up the hill toward the castle that bright morning in early September 2005. “Take a look at the castle,” he said. “That’s going to be your home for the next 11 months.” My heart rate picked up as I beheld the imposing fortress for the first time, crowning the medieval old city of Marburg. What secrets did this centuries-old German city hold for a country boy from the Midwest?
During my junior year at Manchester I lived and studied abroad in Marburg, Germany. Living 11 months in a foreign country, far from rural Indiana and the people closest to me, and communicating in a foreign language, I encountered the biggest challenge of my life—but I grew from it and learned about the world beyond my own comfortable borders. While, out of necessity, I became more independent and self-confident, I also developed a deep appreciation for my closest friends and family members who helped me cope with the difficulties and emotions I felt.
I humbly learned about overwhelming generosity as I was warmly welcomed as a guest in Germany. My German proficiency improved exponentially. I lived a new culture and learned new approaches to life and world around me that will stay with me the rest of my life.
Living in Germany, I waded into the layered centuries of humanity and discovered connections with my own roots. At the Marburg archives I held a treaty signed by Charlemagne in the eighth century. I worshiped in the 13th century St. Elisabeth Church and studied at the world’s oldest Protestant university, founded in the 16th century. In the Altstadt, or “Old City,” I visited the cross-timbered house where the Brothers Grimm lived as students in the 19th century, and I paused at the former “Judengasse” to remember the Jewish community that was shattered in the 20th century.
Not far from Marburg, standing outside the tiny village of Schwarzenau on the banks of the Eder River, I drew in my breath and contemplated the founding of my church. The Church of the Brethren began when eight men and women were baptized here in 1708. During a visit to Darmstadt, a city south of Frankfurt, I reflected on the thought that one of my great-grandfathers left this town a century and a half before, hoping for a better life in America.
Back at Manchester College for my senior year, I sought ways to keep my newfound love of German alive. I found a great opportunity for this in the research I did for my senior history thesis on the experience of German-Americans during World War I. While reading old microfilm copies of two German-language newspapers published in Indianapolis during the war years, I discovered that German-Americans were initially whole-heartedly supportive of their Fatherland in the war. Once the United States entered the war mid-way through and the pressure to Americanize increased, however, German-Americans sacrificed their culture, language and unique identity to prove their loyalty to their new homeland. I was fascinated.
In March, I was excited to present my research at the Manchester College Dean's Student Scholarship Symposium. This is a yearly event created so that Manchester students can present their original scholarly research at an event simulating an academic conference. The quality of research and wide range of topics presented at the Dean’s Symposium deeply impressed me, and I wish I could have attended more presentations than I was able. I was thrilled to learn I had won the Jo Young Switzer Award for the best research paper.
But I could never have done it on my own. Associate Professor of History Katherine Tinsley helped all along the way, suggesting places to look for documents, how to strengthen my paper, and giving encouragement when I needed it most. We spent hours in her office going over drafts and discussing topics related to my research. Professor Mark Angelos helped me polish my presentation for the Dean’s Symposium. I have found that Professor Tinsley’s and Professor Angelos’ enthusiasm for their students and for teaching is a pattern common throughout the entire Manchester faculty.
When I graduate from Manchester College this May, I will return to Germany on a Fulbright scholarship to assist in teaching English at a German high school. It was at Manchester that I was first introduced to the Fulbright, a State Department scholarship for graduates to perform research or to teach English abroad. I am grateful for the encouragement and confidence of the faculty members who aided me in the difficult application process. I am honored to represent Manchester and the United States abroad next year, and I feel excited at the opportunities it will afford me in my future pursuits.
At Manchester College I found a door to the world and the support to pursue my goals. The Study Abroad Office and my foreign language instructor propelled me across the ocean to Germany for a year as an undergraduate and another year with the Fulbright program. Back at Manchester College, my research on German-Americans and my experience with the Dean’s Symposium have helped me discern the career path I wish to pursue—becoming a history professor and teaching a new generation of students.
Questions? Feedback? E-mail familyconnections@manchester.edu.
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