Month: February 2019

Ask just about anyone who works at a university, and they’ll tell you campus involvement is key for students to get the most out of their college experience.

There are many ways to do this, but one of the easiest is joining a student organization. Longwood has loads of these organizations—more than 175—and students are always starting new ones based on their specific interests.

We have a belly dancing club and a club football team. We have clubs for languages, musicians, academic disciplines, thespians and equestrians. We have social fraternities and sororities.

We have a student organization whose members work with children in Farmville to encourage academic achievement, good citizenship and a healthy lifestyle. We have students who get together to play chess, to strengthen their spirituality in a variety of religions and to support Longwood athletics.

In short, we have a club for just about everything. You can see a complete list of Longwood’s student organizations here: https://lancerlink.longwood.edu/organizations

At the beginning of each semester, members of these organizations participate in an Involvement Fair to reach out to their fellow students and welcome them to join the club. But students can join many clubs at any time during the semester.

Here’s the link to a video of a recent Involvement Fair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Aogg-ZG1E

Encourage your student to get involved! It’s a great way to make friends and to get connected on campus.

—Sabrina Brown 

 

 

 

 

Whether they’re staying on campus, going to the beach or heading somewhere more—or less—exotic, your student is probably getting excited about spring break, which is a little more than a week from today. Last year, more than 700 students registered to stay on campus over spring break, so your student will not be alone if that’s their plan.

For students living in Longwood-managed housing, spring break is officially from 6 p.m. Friday, March 1, through noon Sunday, March 10, which means that the residence halls and apartments will not be accessible during that time unless your student has filled out the required form in advance. Classes resume March 11.

If your student is planning to stay on campus for the entire break—or if they have academic or personal obligations after 6 p.m. Friday, March 1—please encourage them to go ahead and “register to stay” on campus, which will give them uninterrupted access to their assigned community.

To register, your student should log in to the Student Housing Gateway and complete the designated form. It’s simple and only takes a few minutes. The deadline to submit the online form is 11:59 p.m. next Thursday, Feb. 28, but there’s no need to wait until then.

Just to be clear: Any student living in any Longwood-managed housing—whether a residence hall or apartment—will not be able to access their building/room/apartment from 6 p.m. Friday, March 1, through noon Sunday, March 10, if they have not filled out the “register to stay” online form by the deadline.

If your student has an emergency, there are some measures in place to provide access to residences over spring break—but they’re much more of a hassle than filling out the “register to stay” form:
—The Lancer Card Center can provide access assistance during business hours from March 6-8. (University offices are closed March 4-5.)
—In extreme cases, LUPD officers can provide limited after-hours access assistance.

For a list of things your student should do before leaving campus housing for the break, go to www.longwood.edu/housing/.

Here’s some additional important information about spring break:
—University offices will be closed March 4-5.
—Farmville Area Bus (FAB) service will end at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 1, and resume at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 10. There is no bus service between campus and Lancer Park or Longwood Village during the break.
—Residence hall rooms and apartments are subject to entry during break. Entry may be necessary during the break period to facilitate preventive maintenance tasks (changing filters, for example), general work orders or safety inspections. Special work projects will be directly communicated to impacted residents/buildings.
—Dorrill Dining Hall will close at 2 p.m. Friday, March 1, and will re-open at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 10.  Regular hours of operation resume on Monday, March 11. Visit https://longwood.campusdish.com/ for operation hours for all other campus food venues.

All of us at Longwood wish your student a safe, fun and/or productive spring break!

—Sabrina Brown

It’s February 14, and it’s a Thursday, so chances are your students won’t be wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day in person.

But take heart! (I know, but I couldn’t resist.) There’s a small chance your son or daughter is one of the Longwood students that I asked to write Valentine’s Day notes to their parents.

I prompted them to write about something good that happened to them recently.  So even if your student isn’t included in this post, I hope you can enjoy the happy events mentioned below and think that your student is probably having similar good experiences this month.

The smiling faces below made me smile. I hope they have the same effect on you.

—Sabrina Brown

Shiann, freshman, environmental science major
Dear Mom and Dad,
My environmental science professor helped me get a bit more informed about college writing and different assignments. She also introduced me to my advisor.
Love you guys!

Jamyl, freshman, business major
Dear Mom and Dad,
I’ve been getting involved in many different clubs and organizations to meet new people at school.
Love y’all!

Madison, freshman, business major
Dear Mom,
I got an A on my first exam of the semester!
Love you!

Zachary, freshman, political science major
Dear Mom and Dad,
I was able to share my faith with someone and make a new friend.
Miss you!

Aaqila, junior, psychology major
Dear Mom and Dad,
I got my fifth 100% in one of my classes, keeping me at a perfect grade. Also, I gave my first candidate tour, and it was amazing.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Love you both! Thanks for all that you do. I miss you guys. See you soon.

Nicola, junior, social work major
Dear Mom and Dad,
I got an A+ on my first social work paper of the semester!

Rian, freshman, biology major
Dear Dad,
I had a really exciting biology lab, and we added two new species to the Longwood Bioblitz. And I get my big in my sorority today!
Love you!

Matthew, sophomore, communication studies/political science major
Dear Mom and Dad,
I got my first A on a test.
Happy V-Day!

Ashley, freshman, liberal studies major
Dear Mom and Dad,
I got a B on my first English test!
Happy Valentine’s Day! I love y’all!

Siara, junior, communication studies major
Dear Mom and Dad,
I did an interview with Lancer Link, I applied to more internships and I put in my desk assistant (DA) application.
Thanks for the love and support!

Christopher, junior, business major
Dear Mom and Dad,
I got invited to attend a regional Ambassador Leadership conference in Richmond—and they’re paying for me to go!
I love you both and my animals!

Libbie, freshman, information systems and cyber security major
Dear Mom and Dad,
This week I had so much fun playing in an intramural basketball game—and I ended up scoring!
Love you!

Liam, junior, political science major
Dear Mom,
I got an A on an exam that I thought I’d failed.
Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether it’s the stress of exams, a difficult relationship breakup or homesickness, it’s not unusual for college students to experience challenges they need help to handle more successfully.

At Longwood, students can find that help through skill-building workshops and group counseling sessions offered by CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services).

CAPS is located on the upper level of the Health and Fitness Center.
Phone: 434-395-2409
Email: longwoodCAPS@longwood.edu

Each student first meets with a psychologist or counselor for a 30-minute initial consultation. In that meeting, students can talk about their concerns, and  the psychologist or counselor will ask questions to help clarify the situation.  At the end of the consultation, a referral to the workshops or a group will be made, if therapeutically warranted.

Counseling Workshops
Workshops are a rotating series of three skill-building sessions that cover mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation and distress tolerance. Students will learn skills to become more aware of their inner thought processes, improve their relationships with others, manage changing emotional states and cope with times when their emotions are high. If you think your student would be interested in the workshops, encourage them to contact Dr. Jenny Glass.

CAPS also provides three group counseling opportunities. Groups meet weekly; individual counseling is provided every other week.

The benefits of group counseling are many:
–Students learn that they are not alone with their concerns
–Group members receive support from peers and benefit from helping their peers
–Group members see that others with similar concerns have improved
–Group members learn more effective coping strategies

Advanced Skills Group
If your student has completed the counseling workshops and is interested in learning more advanced skills, CAPS offers a group that focuses on emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness and distress tolerance, all incorporating mindfulness. Group members also share their experiences with these skills and gain/provide feedback about personal matters. If you think your student would be interested in this group, encourage them to email or call the CAPS office. 

Stress and Anxiety Management Group
This group is designed for students who have symptoms related to stress and anxiety and are seeking support and strategies to cope more effectively. In the group, students can gain support and constructive feedback from other students who struggle with problems related to stress/anxiety. Counselors will present psychoeducational information related to stress/anxiety. If you think your student would be interested in this group, please encourage them to contact contact Dr. David Davino.

ACT Group
This weekly support group is a longstanding collaboration between CAPS and the Office of Disability Resources (ODR). The group is open to any student who has registered with ODR.  The Advocacy, Communication and Transition Group (ACT) provides a safe and supportive place for students to openly share concerns, discuss issues, and gain specific skills and strategies to meet personal goals and receive support and encouragement.  If you think your student would be interested in this group, please encourage them to contact Madeline Schutt or Dr. Maureen Walls-McKay. 

More information about the workshops and group counseling can be found at http://www.longwood.edu/caps/.