Fall 2025 Family Newsletter

Homecoming and Family Weekend & Inauguration of President Elizabeth Kiss

Union College will be welcoming family, alumni, and friends to campus October 9-12, 2025 for a special weekend of community and celebration! Register today to get involved! 

Please see the schedule below, for a detailed list (including athletic events), please click here: 

Thursday, October 9:
Academic Symposium

Friday, October 10:
Inauguration Ceremony at 4:00pm
Women’s Ice Hockey Game (honoring President Kiss) at 6:30pm

Saturday, October 12:
Homecoming Celebration and Picnic at 11:00am
Dean’s List Reception at 4:00pm
President’s Welcome Celebration and Fireworks beginning at 6:00pm  

Sunday, October 13:
Farewell Breakfast at 9:00am

We hope to see U in October as we gather to celebrate homecoming and family weekend and the historic Inauguration of Union College’s 20th President, President Kiss!

Fall 2025 Office Spotlight: Accommodative Services

If your student is registered with Accommodative Services, now is a great time to check in with your student. Here are some questions we suggest to get the conversation started:

Fall 2025 Question of the Term

In each newsletter, we’ll highlight one of the most common questions families have about supporting their Union student. From navigating academic deadlines to encouraging independence and managing challenging circumstances, this section will provide clear, practical guidance you can use right away.

What resources are available if my student is struggling academically? 

There are a ton of academic support resources available to your student, whether they are struggling or just want to get ahead of their academics and/or improve their study habits. You can encourage your student to:

Fall 2025 Advice for Helping your Student Thrive

Promoting a Sense of Belonging at Union

Finding a supportive and caring environment is essential for turning Union into a “home away from home.” While finding a place in a new environment may seem daunting, there are many resources available at Union to help families support their students in finding their sense of belonging. Share the following advice with your student, if they need some encouragement.

Sign-up for everything! 

Check back in on clubs you signed up for at Club Expo; ask questions to see what they do, how big they are, how often they meet, who the members are. If any of the over 100 clubs or organizations piques their curiosity, please encourage them to sign-up and attend a meeting and/or a program. Joining a group or two might help them find new friends, discover a fun hobby, and develop a real sense of community. 

Connect with your orientation groups, roommates, classmates, etc

Most students are in the same boat when they first arrive at Union: looking for where they belong on campus and hoping that someone will invite them to lunch or walk with them after class. Encourage them to reach out to someone they share a class with or maybe a friend they’ve connected with during orientation. The faculty and staff across the college are also resources that may help them get connected to folks who share their interests and passions. 

Ultimately, give it a second

The first few moments for every student, especially once their families leave, can be tough. Whether they are adjusting to their new environment or missing the comforts of home, this transition takes time, so please be patient.

Addressing Homesickness

It’s common for students to experience homesickness when they begin college or when students are not able to go home for long periods of time (e.g., International Students, Student Athletes), even if they were excited to come. Adjusting to a new environment, routines, and social circles can feel overwhelming at first, and missing home is a normal part of the transition. Homesickness often shows up as sadness, irritability, or frequent calls home, and while it can be difficult to watch your student struggle, it usually lessens as they build connections and establish a sense of belonging. You can help by listening with empathy, encouraging them to get involved on campus, and reminding them that these feelings are temporary and part of growing more independent. There are plenty of resources available on campus to help students adjust - including Class Dean, Wicker Wellness, and Residential Education to name a few. Sometimes just stopping by and petting the therapy dogs at Wicker might be a good reminder of home.

Updates from Campus Offices

Athletics

A majority of Union Athletics regular season home events are free to the public, including fall sports: field hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's crew, women's crew, volleyball and women's golf. Tickets are sold for football, women's ice hockey and men's ice hockey and regular season home game admission is free for Union students with College ID. Family members and visitors interested in attending a hockey or football game can purchase tickets online. 

Family and friends visiting during Union's Homecoming & Family Weekend (October 9-12) are invited to join the Union College community at the women's hockey game on October 10th at 6:30pm as we celebrate the inauguration of President Elizabeth Kiss. Admission will be complimentary for that game.

Career Center

The Career Center is thrilled to welcome students back to campus and is ready for an exciting fall! This is a particularly busy time for recruiting in many industries, which means there are lots of great opportunities for students to connect with our office.

We want to highlight two upcoming programs for you and your student.

Fall Career Fair

Our annual Fall Career Fair is on Tuesday, September 30, from 4-7 p.m. in College Park Hall. Over 60 employers and graduate schools are expected to attend. Whether your student is a first-year starting their career exploration, or a Senior looking for their first job, we encourage students of all class years and majors to attend to network with employers and alumni.

Our staff will be on hand to help students prepare, offering walk-through tours and "speed prep" sessions on the day of the event. Even if your student is just starting their career exploration journey, attending is a great way to practice networking and learn about different career paths.

U Ready Career Accelerator

The U Ready Career Accelerator is a 10-step action plan housed in Nexus, designed to guide your student through their career development journey over the next four years. These self-paced modules will equip them with the key tools, resources, and milestones to help explore their career options, build skills, and gain professional experiences throughout their time at Union.

Using the U Ready Career Accelerator will:

This program helps students get ahead of recruitment deadlines, act with intention, and build their personal brand to give them a competitive advantage. 

Your student can schedule an appointment in Handshake or stop by our office to get started! The Career Center is located between Old Chapel and Silliman Hall.

Class Deans

At Union, each class year cohort is assigned to one of four Class Deans, who will be a resource for them throughout their educational journey until graduation. Class Deans help connect students with departments and other helpful resources across campus, and serve as the first point of contact for faculty, staff, and families with concerns about a student. Read the message from your student’s Class Dean about the year ahead and how the office can support you and your student.

The Class Deans will be available during Homecoming and Family Weekend on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 2:30-3:30pm in the Wold Center Atrium. This is a great opportunity to meet your student’s Dean.

Dining

Union Dining is introducing several changes this fall, including faster service and more variety at Dutch Hollow, a new 'grab-and-go' spot at Reamer C-Store, expanded hours and options at Rathskeller and more on-the-go options at Starbucks. The C-Store will become the cornerstone of the grab-and-go food program, offering hot and cold options, reheatable meals, and family-style to-go packages. College Park Hall CPH will host rotating pop-up events featuring third-party restaurants and regional and national brands. The Dining team is working on implementing a new online ordering system for students. 

Union Dining is happy to announce a new addition to our team, Sarah Burke, our Campus Wellness Dietitian. She received both her bachelor's and master's degrees in nutrition from UMass Amherst and later completed her dietetic internship with Virginia Tech. Sarah's background includes clinical nutrition, nutrition policy, K12 food service management, and higher education food service management. She will provide nutrition education and wellness resources to students, helping them navigate the options available at Union's dining locations. Whether they have food allergies or other dietary restrictions, questions regarding nutrition labels, or would like advice on building a balanced plate, Sarah will be able to serve as a guide for students to make the most well-informed dietary choices for themselves, find her contact information here, https://union.cafebonappetit.com/#food-allergies.  

Please reach out to Pedro Fernandes our General Manager, Sarah or any other members of the Union Dining team with questions, ideas and concerns. Visit our website https://union.cafebonappetit.com/ for information on all things dining. The Union College dining team is excited and ready to provide an excellent experience for Fall 2025.

Residential Education & Housing

The Office of Residential Education and Housing is excited to have our halls filled again with students. At this time, we want to remind everyone that the ResEd calendar for the year has been updated on our website. Your student will always receive this information directly from our office by email. But we encourage you to check back often to see reminders regarding move-out days, start of terms, policies, and other important dates.  

If you haven’t already, please take a look at GradGuard, a renter’s insurance that is available to students. They would have been prompted to select this option, or provide their own information, when they signed up for housing. We do not require renter’s insurance, but it is highly encouraged, as it covers any incidental damages or unforeseen emergencies within the space.

Senior off-campus release for the 2026-2027 academic year will take place in February 2026. This is a part of the housing process for all rising Seniors. We want to remind all students, again, that they should not be signing any leases before receiving confirmation of their release from campus housing. A lease will not impact their approval, and we do not want students to find themselves in the position of having to break the lease, or pay for both housing locations.

Regardless of where our students live on campus, there is staff on campus to support them. Each residence on campus has an assigned Area Coordinator (AC) or Community Director (CD). ACs/CDs are full-time, live-in professional staff who work to support students through all aspects of residential living. Our ACs/CDs also supervise our in-hall student staff. For any residential questions, concerns, or needs a student's first point of contact is their assigned Area Coordinator or Community Director.

Fall 2025 Reminders: Residence Halls close on November 19, 2025. Students are expected to leave campus no later than 24 hours after their last exam, unless they have applied for and been approved for winter break housing. Students do not need to move out or return their key, if they are returning to campus for winter term. Students who are not enrolled in classes on campus for winter term won’t be able to apply for winter break housing.

Timely Care Telehealth Services

As your student embarks on their Union College journey, their well-being, both mental and physical, is more important than ever. We have amazing staff at the Counseling and Health Centers on campus, located in the Wicker Wellness Center.  There they have access to free and confidential services with therapists, medical staff, and dieticians. 

Another valuable resource available to them is TimelyCare, a free and confidential telehealth service that offers 24/7 access to mental health support, medical care, health coaching, and more. TimelyCare connects students with licensed providers anytime, anywhere, via phone or video.

We have been promoting this to students, and recommend that you encourage your student to sign up to ensure they have support in place before a need arises. Whether they are feeling overwhelmed, need help managing stress, or are dealing with a physical ailment, college life can be unpredictable, and having immediate access to care can make a significant difference in your student’s academic performance, emotional resilience, and overall success. Please take a moment to talk with your student about activating their TimelyCare account.  It’s a simple step that can provide peace of mind for both of you throughout the school year.

Your student can sign up for TimelyCare by scanning the QR code posted around campus or they can go to app.timelycare.com.

Important Campus Resources

Contact Information for Emergencies and Concerns

In case of an emergency, parents and families are encouraged to call Union College’s Campus Safety Department at 518-388-6911. In addition to responding to emergencies, Campus Safety can also activate Union’s on-call system. The on-call system operates in the evenings, after College offices are closed, on weekends, holidays, and College breaks. The on-call system includes student and professional residential staff, the Counseling Center, Health Services, and other College administrators. 

During regular business hours, parents and families should contact their student’s Class Dean, with questions or concerns about their student.

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

Visit Union’s Academic Calendar and Residential Education’s Dates and Deadlines for more details and upcoming dates.

College Relations

It was a delight to meet so many first year families during our Summer Welcome Receptions for the Class of 2029. Thank you to the hosts and everyone who attended.

We look forward to seeing you during Homecoming and Family Weekend (October 10 - 12). The Family Circle will also be holding our annual breakfast meeting on October 11. The Family Circle is a philanthropy group that works in concert with school leaders to enhance the Union experience for students and their families by supporting the faculty, staff and entire campus community.

The Office of Alumni & Parent Engagement also invites you to join us at one of our upcoming events: ualumni.union.edu/events. Thanks for all you share with Union!

For questions contact Noelle Marchaj '05, Director of Family Philanthropy, at marchajn@union.edu.

Additional Campus Resources

Find additional campus resources and helpful information for families below.

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