What are some of the resources students can take advantage of this year?
Each of the departments within Student Affairs has a role to play in helping students feel at home at BC. The Office of Residential Life supports them as they learn to live together, while the Health and Wellness programs help them tend to their physical and mental well-being and become independent stewards of their health. If they ever don’t know where to go for help or just want a welcoming place to talk, the Dean of Students Office is there for them.
As the umbrella office for more than 300 student organizations, the Office of Student Involvement helps students engage on campus in meaningful ways and try new things that they’re curious about, whether that’s crocheting, debate, or pickleball.
Ultimately, my goal is for students to feel comfortable reaching out to all of us in Student Affairs, even when they don’t have a specific issue to talk about. Whether you are the president of BC's student government or a member of the smallest club on campus, I will gladly make time for you. Being in open dialogue with students helps us, too, and it makes us that much stronger and more interconnected as a University community.
What are you looking forward to in the year ahead?
Last fall, we launched an event series for undergraduate students called Cura, which is named after one of BC’s core Jesuit values, cura personalis. The Latin translates to “care for the whole person,” which is partially about respect—about acknowledging the various capacities in which we each come to BC and dialoguing about our different interests, values, and backgrounds.
This year, we’re working with Student Engagement to expand the Cura series, beginning during Weeks of Welcome in August and September. Our welcome speaker, a global leader in community building, will guide students in sharing aspects of their backgrounds that are meaningful to them. Afterwards, they will split off into groups by residence hall floor to debrief with a student leader and an administrator, beginning to build the community they are going to share all year.
Throughout the year, we are planning to continue the Cura series through collaborations with our partners in Mission and Ministry and Academics, and our student leadership. Whether through our Circle Up series or by creating informal ways for students to connect, these events will help them navigate life on campus and find their community.
What else do you want parents to know as the year starts?
Parents can be a steadying and encouraging presence for students. You can help them find ways to explore—a new activity, a new subject—while also building in time to reflect and relax. You can also reinforce that they are going to be just fine in college and in their careers.
Ultimately, they are at BC, so we are going to take care of them and work through any hurdles they encounter. They may have ups and downs, but BC is a place to land in this thing called life, and we give students the tools to be able to navigate opportunities both within and outside our gates.