|
Sept. 23, 2025
Welcome to Week 5!
Wherever this finds you, I hope you are doing well and feeling strong and confident
in your progress. You are already one-third of the way through the semester – not that you want to live your life counting your days away, but when working hard
toward a distant goal, it can feel good to put some significant mile markers behind
you. You are doing great and making excellent headway on our journey. Congratulations!
I am so proud of you!
If you were in Fairbanks this weekend, I hope you caught a glimpse of the 62nd running
of the Equinox Marathon. Maybe, you ran in it yourself or know someone who ran? It
was a beautiful day for the runners, hikers, and spectators. While watching the runners,
I thought of you on your journey. The Equinox Marathon is a long and arduous race.
To complete the race is a huge achievement, but it is over in hours. Your journey
is longer – your travels in this semester will take you through weeks and weeks of challenges.
Amazing. Talk about grit and determination! You have so many more opportunities to
turn aside or falter…Yet you keep going. Take a moment to pat yourself on the back!
Now that we’ve made it through nearly five weeks, let’s take a moment to check in
on how you’re feeling. If we’d been hiking together daily since the start of the semester,
our gear would be looking a bit worn, and we might be ready for a break!
How are you holding up? Are you on track to reach your goals this fall? Are you feeling
good about balancing school, social life, family, and work? And how’s the stress level
with classes, roommates, and finances?
Take a moment to reflect. If you feel strong, that’s awesome! But also, check in on
those around you. How are they doing?
Have you ever wondered when it’s time to ask for help? If you’ve needed assistance
before, think about the last time you reached out. Knowing when and where to seek
support is such an important skill. Just like an aid station in a race, everyone needs
a little help from family, friends, professors, and even counselors now and then.
If you’re feeling like you could use a boost, now is a great time to reach out.
At UAF, there are so many people dedicated to supporting students on their journeys,
and that includes you! If you’re unsure where to start, the Office of Rights, Compliance, and Accountability is a fantastic resource. This great team of amazing people is waiting to help. In
fact, there is something called the CARE Team which includes people from all across
UAF who help coordinate care. If you could use some support, this is a good place
to start. Their number is 907-474-7300.
If you are looking for counseling or medical support, the Student Health and Counseling Center is the place to go. Here, you will find more wonderful people devoted to helping you
succeed on your journey.
Of course, your advisor at the Academic Advising Center is also here to help you on your academic travels. They can also help direct you to
tutoring support if you could use a hand in this department.
Also, we have Academic Coaches as part of our new Student Success Center,Ìý Academic Coaches provide a series of one-on-one conversations designed to enhance
well-being and academic performance. Coaching is a partnership between students seeking
to improve their study strategies and peer coaches who are trained to listen, ask
thought-provoking questions, and help you identify resources and set goals. You can
meet with a coach once or weekly to help keep you on track, feel more confident, and
reach your goals. Coaching is free for all UAF students and is available in person
or via Zoom. Learn more or schedule an appointment!
We are one-third of the way through our journey this fall. You are doing great. You
are strong and you’ve got this. You will have a much more pleasant experience in the
coming weeks if you take a moment to get a little support. Now is a great time to
reach out for a hand or offer one to a fellow student –Ìýa fellow traveler.
Things to know:
Dine 49 will be closed on Saturday, Sept. 27, for the Blue & Gold event. We are very
excited to host a special brunch and ‘breakfast for dinner’ at the Hess Commons that
day. I’ve heard early reports of big plans for games and cartoons. It should be a
lot of fun. Your dining options for this coming Saturday can be found here.
Things to do:
The UAF Women’s Volleyball Team has been crushing it. They are nearly undefeated.
This Thursday night, they play St. Martin’s University at the Patty Center from 7-9
p.m. Saturday at the Patty Center from 2-4 p.m., they play Western Oregon University.
Admission is free to you! Drop in and cheer on your Nanooks!
Looking for something more, check out for tons more great stuff to do!
Have a great fifth week!
As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback for me, please don’t
hesitate to send your thoughts my way. You can find me at obguthrie@alaska.edu.
— Owen Guthrie, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management
|
